WHAT a shame. I pulled this film from the internet player, when I came across it by chance, thinking: Oh great, two superb British actors, this film has to have some good drama threads in it in order to pull in two such names.
But no. First, I assumed (A_S_S_U_M_E: making an ass of u & me! Hey-ho!) from the casting that it was a British flick & set in Britain. But no, it's set in North America, and has the ring of the good old US-of-A.
Second, it is little more than a romcom for the middle-aged. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't even have the average amount of artistic quality that a viewer can hope for from a routine romcom . . . And, let us admit, romantic comedies do tend to be humdrum.
Plus, as the story is set in Canada, the style of the film is very much of and for a North American culture. In this aspect, the movie is miscast. The producers could have given the lead roles to any two known Canadian/US actors, and such a casting would (i) have made more sense to the viewer (ii) the culture the producers are playing to would have been more appropriate with two non-British actors.
Hodge plays a Canadian with the accent to match, while McKee retains her UK accent. But it would have been better had she too been told to adopt a non-English accent, because - as the storyline doesn't explain why her character is English - the pertinence of being a Brit was not put across. The Britishness is superfluous, and the lack of info on this nationality factor seems gaping.
I have watched both Hodge & McKee in some great British dramas. Having not as yet seem them on stage in the UK, I can only assume their myriad Tony, BAFTA, Olivier awards etc credit their skills in that area.
What a lost opportunity: (i) US etc actors & characters would have been more of a winning feature in this film and would have pandered to US taste (ii) British viewers would have known to expect a film without any British influence: angle, whimsy or cultural references. I feel I have been lied to just by the casting. If I hadn't been, then I might have watched the film expecting less, and then the movie would have come across as more than just passable.
Of course, it may well be that someone in the Canadian film studio fancied having two 'Brits' as the leads in their film, somehow thinking any film starring such performers would automatically become high theatre. And the film-making was flowed out from that single point of origin. I suppose they see it rather joyfully, as if royalty had just turned up in their back yard . . . ! And IMO the opening lines of Hodge's character - being a snippet from Shakespeare's famous 'Hamlet' soliloquy - shows the truth of the producers' casting angle!
But such strategising was wrong, & just wasted the ability of both Hodge and McKee. Only a good film can result in film that's good to watch.
The movie, as a whole, lacks true depth, originality & much sense of wit. It has sweet moments, but has a generally over-saccharine flavour - although that might just be the case for a British viewer. Being passable as a premise does not make a film justifiable. The key actors do their best, but it is with very 'mehhh' material.
Even the by-plot of the daughter & son-in-law seems over-engineered. It was clearly meant to be amusing - particularly to any viewers who are middle-aged parents with their own experience of twittery boomerang kids - but instead seems stirred even deeper into an already stultifying plot. The subplot should have either been fleshed out, with better-layered characters, or left out altogether.
The whole product was, well, bland & too lightweight. It's not bad, it's just banal. Nothing stands out in the storyline or its delivery. Only the cinematography is memorable, and is on point throughout. And Hodge & McKee perform hilariously & brilliantly together in the drunken visitation scene. Hey-ho: one exceptional feature & one superb scene does not create a notable film! They just salvage it from being largely mediocre, to make it just adequate.
Truly a missed moment . . . Lacking any pizzazz, this is a straight-to-TV film. And sadly, watching it has been a somewhat dire experience. The next rainy Sunday afternoon when I fancy a light-hearted film entertainment with some 'zing' to it, I shall be more careful in selecting my online viewing.
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