This HBO movie is a little lighthearted, but it serves a valuable purpose: it's never too late to do what you want to do. After her husband's funeral, Judi Dench feels a little restricted by her children. She fondly remembers her time playing saxophone in an all-girls band entertaining the troops during WWII and decides to take up her music again. She joins up with a street guitarist and plays for fun, and soon she gets recognized by an old friend, Ian Holm. He used to play the drums (in drag) in the Blonde Bombshells band, and he's harbored a decades-long crush on Judi. As he courts her with roses and long drives in the country, the idea comes to them that perhaps they could track down the other members of the band and form a reunion.
I don't usually like flashbacks in a story, but they were very tasteful and timely in this movie. You wanted to learn more, and when it was necessary, you did. I loved the relationship and rapport between Judi and Ian; I'm not used to seeing him in a modern, regular guy role! The guest stars of the other ladies were a bit disappointing, though. Olympia Dukakis, sporting a very obvious wig, basically reincarnated her Moonstruck persona and called it a day. Joan Sims, the bandleader, was given very little screen time and personality development. Leslie Caron was only given about five minutes of screen time, and while she looked stunningly beautiful, she wasn't given anything to do. Cleo Laine fans will be happy though, since she gets to sing a couple of songs and show off her range.
I'll give this warning: if you don't like jazz music, don't watch this movie. It's riddled with upbeat 1940s tunes, so jazz lovers will really appreciate it. My dad loves jazz and Judi Dench, so this was pretty much his favorite movie ever. If you're not in the mood to absolutely love it, you'll probably think it's mediocre. It's a cute, simple story, but it doesn't delve very deep.
I don't usually like flashbacks in a story, but they were very tasteful and timely in this movie. You wanted to learn more, and when it was necessary, you did. I loved the relationship and rapport between Judi and Ian; I'm not used to seeing him in a modern, regular guy role! The guest stars of the other ladies were a bit disappointing, though. Olympia Dukakis, sporting a very obvious wig, basically reincarnated her Moonstruck persona and called it a day. Joan Sims, the bandleader, was given very little screen time and personality development. Leslie Caron was only given about five minutes of screen time, and while she looked stunningly beautiful, she wasn't given anything to do. Cleo Laine fans will be happy though, since she gets to sing a couple of songs and show off her range.
I'll give this warning: if you don't like jazz music, don't watch this movie. It's riddled with upbeat 1940s tunes, so jazz lovers will really appreciate it. My dad loves jazz and Judi Dench, so this was pretty much his favorite movie ever. If you're not in the mood to absolutely love it, you'll probably think it's mediocre. It's a cute, simple story, but it doesn't delve very deep.