Rating: M
Running Time:111 minutes
Release Date: 3 February 2011
Tamara Drewe returns home as a successful, beautiful journalist in stark contrast to when she left as an ugly duckling growing up in country England. On her arrival Tamara (Gemma Arterton) moves into her late mothers house to fix it up for sale and in the process attracting lots of the attention from the locals particularly old school flame Andy Cobb(Luke Evans), womanising author Nicholas Hardiment (Roger Allam) and his long suffering wife Beth (Tamsin Grieg). However after a whirlwind romance Tamara ends up engaged to visiting rock star drummer, Ben (Dominic Cooper) much to the dismay of obsessed teenage fan, Jody (Jessica Barden) who tries to sabotage their union. Soon the deception starts unravelling as true feelings are revealed.
Screenplay by Moira Buffini adapted from the novel by Posy Simmonds, the script is funny, saucy and endearing though somewhat tragic. It’s partly an expose into townies versus country life illustrated by the boredom the two teenage girls feels and their dreams of escape contrasted with city folk and foreigners who come to this “idyllic” location to retreat, write, relax and repair.
Directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen) this farcical comedy of affairs is punctuated by its irreverent British humour, though the ending doesn’t quite fit in with general tone of the film. Gemma Atherton (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) who pulls off a reasonable performance as even though the film revolves around her, as the title suggests, it is the supporting cast which make this film and bring the script to life. Her characterization is superficial and exists purely as a catalyst for the other more interesting and complex characters such as the bookish American writer Glen (Bill Camp). Credit also goes to Roger Allam (The Queen) as the philandering husband and Jessica Barden’s hilarious portrayal of disillusioned country teen.
3/5 stars
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