nobody asked…

In a last minute desperate act to escape the soaring temperatures and boredom last weekend, I rented a movie I had never heard of, based solely on the cast and the brief DVD case writeup.

Keeping Mum is a delightfully wicked little British comedy with a dark side. Set in a quaint village named Little Wallop, population 57, in the English countryside, the plot twists and turns around the family of absent-minded and always distracted vicar, Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson — the indomitable Mr. Bean). Kristin Scott Thomas delivers a most credible performance as Gloria, the vicar’s beautiful wife who is withering from lack of attention.

While their offerings are enough to make the movie enjoyable, it is the magnificent performance by Maggie Smith as the mysterious housekeeper, Grace, that renders the 104 minutes irresistable. NYTimes movie critic Stephen Holden said, “Keeping Mum, directed by Niall Johnson, doesn’t pretend to have anything to do with reality. It is as determinedly British and old-fashioned as an Agatha Christie mystery consumed with cucumber sandwiches and a spot of tea.”

If you have not seen it, what are you waiting for? You’ll laugh your arse off and then you’ll thank me! You’re welcome…