Imelda Staunton Movies
With an expansive range that stretches from Shakespeare to Chicken Run and just about everything in between, actress Imelda Staunton has, not surprisingly, become one of the most highly respected actresses working in the U.K. If her penchant for playing what many would consider to be mundane, everyday characters found Staunton criminally overlooked in the early years of her career, it was her keen ability to inject those characters with a remarkable complexity that eventually made the stage mainstay-turned-small-screen powerhouse one of Britain's most sought-after talents.A London native and graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Staunton wasted no time launching her career following graduation, becoming associated with such prestigious venues as The Old Vic and the National Theatre. A trio of productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company gained her numerous critical accolades, and in 1986 Staunton made an impressive television debut in the legendary BBC production of Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective. Increasingly busy throughout the 1990s, Staunton continued to gain momentum on-stage while earning three Oliviers for her performances in the The Corn Is Green, A Chorus of Disapproval, and Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods.
As Staunton's numerous stage roles continued to earn her critical success, frequent television and film roles made her a familiar and endearing face to the general public. Though many of her U.K. television roles went unseen by stateside audiences, supporting roles in such features as Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, and Shakespeare in Love found Staunton slowly working her way into the conscience of U.S. film buffs as well. Moving into the new millennium, Staunton's roles in such films as Chicken Run (for which she provided the voice of Bunty), Crush, Bright Young Things, and I'll Be There found the established television actress actively distancing herself from the small screen in favor of feature films.
Of course, every actor dreams of the breakthrough role that will make him or her an international star, and for Imelda Staunton that role was of a 1950s era abortionist caught in a downward spiral in director Mike Leigh's 2004 drama Vera Drake. Her undeniably affecting portrayal of the title role -- a selfless housewife and cleaning woman who makes a name for herself performing illegal abortions -- earned her near-universal praise. After earning accolades from both The Venice Film Festival and The New York Film Festival as well as the Los Angeles and Chicago film critic associations, Staunton had undeniably arrived when the role earned her a Best Actress nomination for the 77th Annual Academy Awards.
Subsequent roles in the U.K. television comedy Little Britain as well as the features Nanny McPhee and Freedom Writers served well to introduce her to entirely new, often American, audiences. In 2007, just one year after appearing in a colorful Masterpiece Theatre production of the children's classic The Wind and the Willows, she remained in the world of fantasy for her role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Staunton played Dolores Umbridge -- the latest in a long line of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors -- whose severe disposition drew the ire of Harry Potter himself. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2008
Death gives two men a new lease on life in this dark comedy from the UK. Paul Callow (Mackenzie Crook) makes his living driving a subway train in London, though he'd like nothing more than to be able to quit his job, move to Scotland and devote his time to writing a novel. Paul isn't an especially cheerful guy under the best of circumstances, but he's been on edge since two people slipped off a platform and fell onto the tracks before he could stop his train. A fellow driver tells Paul that the London Underground rail system has a secret policy called "three and out," in which if a driver is responsible for three fatalities within a month, they'll be let go with a golden handshake equal to a decade's salary. Shocked but sensing an opportunity, Paul looks for someone wanting to kill themselves, and finds Tommy Cassidy (Colm Meaney), who Paul prevents from jumping off a bridge in a suicide attempt. Paul makes Tommy an offer -- if he'll throw himself under Paul's train, Paul will give him enough money to enjoy one last night on the town and still have enough to leave a nest egg for his family. Tommy agrees, and Paul takes him to Liverpool for a wild weekend, where they revel in the joys of petty crime and Paul attempts to romance Tommy's teenage daughter Frankie (Gemma Arterton) and his former wife Rosemary (Imelda Staunton). But what if Tommy enjoys himself enough that he doesn't feel like dying at Paul's behest on Monday? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mackenzie Crook, Colm Meaney, (more)
A scandalous murder case that was the talk of England in the 1920s is brought to the screen in this period drama based on fact. In 1913, Edith Graydon (Natasha Little) was a young woman living with her family -- good-natured father (Michael Bertenshaw), emotionally distant mother (Imelda Staunton), and shy younger sister (Rachael Stirling) -- in a fading middle-class neighborhood in London. While not especially bright or ambitious, Edith wanted more out of life than her family's situation would provide, and with this in mind she accepted the marriage proposal of her boyfriend Percy Thompson (Nick Moran). While Percy was a bit better off than Edith's family, he was not an especially interesting or exciting partner, and after several years Edith began to grow restless with their marriage. Long regarded as something of a flirt, in 1921 Edith renewed her friendship with Freddy Bywaters (Ioan Gruffudd), a good-looking and worldly former beau who had just returned to England after serving in the Queen's Navy. Edith and Freddy were not destined to remain just friends for long, and as they began to enter into a passionate affair, Edith began writing a series of letters to her lover in which she confided her ardor for Freddy, her fatigue with Percy -- and her belief that murdering her husband would solve a great many problems. Shot in 1999, Another Life did not receive a theatrical release until 2001, when it arrived in British theaters and earned enthusiastic reviews for Natasha Little's performance as Edith. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natasha Little, Nick Moran, (more)
- 1991
From director Beeban Kidron, Antonia & Jane is a look at an enduring friendship between a pair of decidedly opposite people. Beautiful, sophisticated, and self-assured, Antonia (Saskia Reeves) has it all -- or so it seems to the pudgy wallflower Jane (Imelda Staunton), who secretly resents the fact that her own inner light is invariably extinguished whenever her glamorous friend enters a room. The fact that Antonia stole and married Jane's first lover only makes matters worse. While Jane vents her feelings in her therapist's office, Antonia herself secretly longs to be more like Jane, who is always off in search of new adventures and experiences. Petricia Leventon and Alfred Hoffman also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saskia Reeves, Imelda Staunton, (more)
British writer/actor Stephen Fry makes his feature-film debut with the witty, sophisticated comedy Bright Young Things, adapted from Evelyn Waugh's 1930 novel Vile Bodies. Set in London during the '30s, this stylish period film follows an ensemble cast of well-dressed and highly literate partygoers. Aspiring writer Adam Fenwick-Symes (stage actor Stephen Campbell Moore) loses the manuscript of his first novel when traveling through customs. He then sets out to raise enough money to marry his sweetheart, Nina Blount (Emily Mortimer), the daughter of a colonel (Peter O'Toole). All in the name of love, Adam seeks funding through a constant stream of parties, meetings, and conversations with eccentric acquaintances. Cameo appearances are made by the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Simon Callow, and Stockard Channing. Bright Young Things was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Mortimer, Stephen Campbell Moore, (more)
Aardman Animations, the British clay-animation studio that created a cult sensation (and won three Academy awards) with its short subjects featuring Wallace and Gromit, presents its first feature film, a mixture of comedy and adventure. Mrs. Tweedy (voice of Miranda Richardson) operates a chicken farm, where most of the birds have resigned themselves to a short and uneventful life of producing eggs and ending up as the main course of someone's Sunday dinner. But when Rocky (voice of Mel Gibson), a rooster from America, arrives on the farm, things begin to change. Rocky soon finds romance with a hen named Ginger (voice of Julia Sawalha) who longs for a better life and has been trying to find a way out of the farm for some time; together they devise a plan to escape to freedom. However, Rocky and Ginger soon find themselves racing against the clock when Mrs. Tweedy decides it's time to turn the entire flock into chicken pies. Nick Park, director of the Wallace and Gromit shorts, co-directed Chicken Run with Peter Lord, who produced several Aardman projects and created animation for the TV series Pee-Wee's Playhouse. The voice cast also includes Jane Horrocks, Phil Daniels, and Timothy Spall. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Julia Sawalha, (more)
Stephen Rea stars as a relentless Russian investigator in this made-for-cable thriller. Based on an actual case, this taut film tells the story of Burakov (Rea), a Russian forensic pathologist assigned to track down a brutal serial killer who is targeting young drifters. The nature of the assignment takes its toll on Burakov's personal life, as he tracks the killer for years despite the red-tape and bureaucracy of the Soviet state. Nominated for several awards overall that year, Donald Sutherland won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for his co-starring role as Rea's supportive superior, Fetisov. The movie was filmed in Hungary. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Set in the 1830s, this historical drama stars Robin Soans as George Loveless, a Methodist minister whose flock is a group of working families in Tolpuddle, a small town in the British Southwest. Most of the workers in the community are under the thumb of Frampton (Robert Stephens), a ruthless land owner, and his overseer Clerk (Murray Melvin); Frampton and Clerk demand long hours from their workers and pay meager wages. Convinced that the workers deserve a better shake, Loveless, encouraged by organizer Mr. Pitt (Michael Hordern), forms the Society of Friends, an early labor union, and organizes the men to negotiate with Frampton for better pay. When their salaries are instead cut, Loveless and his men go on strike, which could cripple Frampton financially. However, Frampton is well-connected, and soon both the government and private militias are sent in to break the strike and punish the rebellious laborers. The supporting cast includes James Fox, Freddie Jones, and Vanessa Redgrave. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Soans, William Gaminara, (more)
The small town gossip, secrets, and romance of Mary Gaskells' popular series of novels comes to the small screen in this BBC drama series from director Simon Curtis. The year is 1842, and Cranford is a modest Cheshire market town on the verge of great change. The railway is reaching to Cranford from Manchester, and the locals fear that their town will soon be overrun with migrant workers and lawlessness. Spinster Deborah Jenkins Eileen Atkins) is the arbitrator of correctness about town, and as far as she and her demurring sister Matty (Judi Dench) are concerned there's never a dull moment in Cranford. Things begin to get especially interesting after handsome new doctor Frank Harrison (Simon Woods) arrives in town shocking the locals with his decidedly non-traditional methods of practicing medicine. Frank has a powerful effect on the ladies around town, but when Matty runs into an old flame at Lady Ludlow's garden party her thoughts drift back to the time when she was forced to give up the man she once loved with all her heart. No one is immune from the gossip that winds its way through the local circuits, and that gossip can almost always be traced back to the Jenkins sisters. When news emerges that the railroad is coming to town, everyone realizes that their tidy little universe is about to expand in ways that they could have never imagined. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judi Dench, Philip Glenister, (more)
A woman edging into middle age finally finds the love of a lifetime; too bad she can't convince her best friends it's for real in this lively romantic comedy. Kate (Andie MacDowell), Molly (Anna Chancellor), and Janine (Imelda Staunton) are three close friends in their early forties who have been sharing a long run of bad luck in the field of romance. While all three are successful in their careers -- Kate has been named headmistress of an upscale private school, Molly is a doctor, and Janine's a police detective -- they've been striking out in the dating scene, and they get together on a regular basis to compare notes and drown their sorrows in cocktails and chocolate. One day, while attending the funeral of a colleague, Kate makes the acquaintance of Jed (Kenny Doughty), a good-looking man who remembers Kate as one of his teachers when he attended the school years ago. Despite the decade-and-a-half gap in their ages, there's a strong mutual attraction between Kate and Jed, and before the day is over the two are enjoying an affair. Molly and Janine are at once amused and appalled at Kate for dating a younger man, and while she tells them it's a short-lived fling that means little to either party, neither Kate nor Jed wants to walk away from their relationship; before long Kate and Jed decide they've fallen in love and plan to get married. The harder Molly and Janine try to convince Kate that she's making a mistake, the more Kate is determined to tie the knot with Jed, and eventually Molly and Janine decide to take drastic measures -- Molly hatches a plan to seduce Jed, while Janine captures their tryst on videotape. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, Imelda Staunton, (more)
A distinguished cast highlights this made-for-TV adaptation of one of Charles Dickens' best-loved novels. Young David Copperfield (Daniel Radcliffe) is loved by his mother Clara (Emilia Fox), but does not get along with his foul-tempered stepfather, Murdstone (Trevor Eve). After biting Murdstone during a fight, David is forced to attend a boarding school operated by the vicious and humorless Mr. Creakle (Ian McKellen). After Clara suddenly dies, David is sent to work; while his labors are tiring and poorly compensated, he finds a benefactor in the good-hearted Mr. Micawber (Bob Hoskins) and his wife (Imelda Staunton). However, Micawber does not manage money well, and winds up in a debtors prison. Left to his devices, David sets out to find one of his few surviving relatives, his eccentric Aunt Betsy (Maggie Smith). The years pass, and the grown-up David (Ciaran McMenamin) has struggled to build a better life for himself, with the help of Betsy's attorney, Mr. Wickfield. David also becomes friendly with Wickfield's daughter Agnes (Amanda Ryan), but he finds a nemesis in the lawyer's clerk Uriah Heep (Nicholas Lyndhurst). David also marries a simple woman named Dora (Joanna Page), but their union brings him little happiness. David Copperfield was a co-production of the BBC and WGBH Boston. It received its American premier on the acclaimed anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, (more)
A disturbed woman starts getting friendly advice from some of the great murderers of history in this black comedy from Great Britain. Introverted Jody Greenwood (Jane Horrocks) and her bolder sister Beth (Imelda Staunton) both live under the thumb of their domineering mother Iris (Brenda Fricker). Jodie has romantic feelings for Dr. Ted Phillips (Jonathan Pryce), a local physician at least twenty years her senior, while Beth has become involved with a hunky male stripper, but both sisters feel paralyzed to do much about their relationships while Iris is still around. One night, Jody is visited by the ghost of Maj. Herbert Armstrong (Edward Woodward), a locally infamous man who made his small town famous with the spectacular murder of his wife. After he passes on some advice about how to achieve personal freedom, Jody kills Iris with an axe and hides the body with Beth's help. However, bad blood arises between Jody and Beth, and, after a nocturnal visit from well-known murderer Dr. Crippen (Hywel Bennett), Jody is inspired to pick up the hatchet again, doing away with Beth and her stripper. Jody beats the case against her in court and wins the heart of Dr. Phillips, but unfortunately she starts getting visits again ... . Jane Horrocks's performance as Jody won her the Best Actress award at the 1994 Catalonian International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Horrocks, Brenda Fricker, (more)
Two women from different worlds are brought together by strange circumstances and forbidden desires in this period-drama. Sue Trinder (Sally Hawkins) was left on her own as a young child when her parents died, and she was forced to fend for herself, living on the street in the company of thieves and confidence men. Sue is given a chance to reform when she's taken in by Mrs. Sucksby (Imelda Staunton), who wants to keep her off the streets, but Sucksby's friend Richard Rivers (Rupert Evans) is familiar with Sue's old circle and lures her into an elaborate criminal scheme. Sue is to get a job as a maid to Maud Lilly (Elaine Cassidy), a young woman who lives with her uncle (Charles Dance) and will claim a large family inheritance when she marries. Sue's role is to act as confidante to Maud, so when Richard attempts to court her, Sue will help convince the young heiress that marrying Richard is the right thing to do. Richard's scheme is to marry Maud, have her sanity called into question, and then take possession of her fortune after she's committed to an asylum, but as Sue becomes close friends with Maud, she begins to wonder if she has the nerve to go through with the plan, especially when her feelings for Maud begin to extend beyond just friendship. As Sue's choice becomes nearly unbearable, fate steps in and she discovers all is not as she'd been led to believe. Fingersmith was produced for the BBC, where it first aired in the spring of 2005. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Hawkins, Elaine Cassidy, (more)
Assigned the thankless task of teaching freshman English at a gang-infested Long Beach, CA high school, a 23-year-old teacher resorts to unconventional means of breaking through to her hardened students in director Richard LaGravenese's adaptation of Erin Gruwell's best-seller The Freedom Writer's Diaries: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Her students had been written off, and her chances of succeeding scoffed at, but Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) wasn't about to go down without a fight. Long Beach is a place where a new war is waged with each passing day, and when the hardened students who walk those dangerous hallways sense an outsider attempting to understand their plight, their cynical resentment threatens to keep a deadly cycle in motion. Despite the initially hostile reaction she receives in the classroom, Gruwell uses the writings of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo to teach her students not only the basis of the English language, but compassion and tolerance as well. Later, when the time comes to tell their own tales in a project specially designed to explore the daily violence that the majority of students have grown numb to, the barriers that had once stood so strong gradually begin to crumble. When the only chance for survival is to befriend the person who was once your mortal enemy, the world is opened to a whole new realm of possibilities. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, (more)
- 2007
- PG13
- Add Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to QueueAdd Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to top of Queue
Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year of studies, only to find that the magical community seems to be in a curious state of denial about his recent encounter with the sinister Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the fifth installment of the popular fantasy film series based on the best-selling books by author J.K. Rowling. Rumor has it that the dreaded Lord Voldemort has returned, but Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) isn't so sure what to make of all the hearsay currently floating around the campus of Hogwarts. Suspecting that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may be fueling the rumors regarding Voldemort's return in order to undermine his authority and lay claim to his job, Fudge entrusts newly arrived Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) with the task of tracking Dumbledore and keeping a protective watch over the nervous student body. The young wizards of Hogwarts will need something much more effective than Umbridge's Ministry-approved course in defensive magic if they are to truly succeed in the extraordinary battle that lies ahead, however, and when the administration fails to provide the students with the tools that they will need to defend Hogwarts against the fearsome powers of the Dark Arts, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Harry take it upon themselves to recruit a small group of students to form "Dumbledore's Army" in preparation for the ultimate supernatural showdown. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
This Irish comedy focuses on a woman named Ellie, who despite her family reputation as the wild free spirit, is left in charge of her sister Kate's retirement home when Kate is called home to care for their ailing mother. Ellie already has an aversion to responsibility, and she's definitely not prepared for the downright rude "hardcore" residents at Woodlands rest home. Strangely enough, however, Ellie and the people in her care begin to learn from each other, and her unexpected journey doesn't seem like such a terrible burden after all. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Imelda Staunton, (more)
A has-been '80s pop star whose phone stopped ringing some time ago, Paul Kerr (Craig Ferguson) is an alcoholic on a downward spiral. After crashing his motorcycle through a window and into a fountain in his estate, Paul is sent to a mental hospital on the assumption that he has become suicidal. When a woman named Rebecca (Jemma Redgrave) shows up one day with teenage Olivia (Charlotte Church), whom she claims is Paul's long lost daughter, both the girl and the depressed singer slowly begin find a new sense of purpose in their lives. Returning to his home to set his life straight with a little help from a former bandmate, a tentative romance develops between Rebecca and Paul. Subsequently discovering that his newfound daughter shares her father's talent for singing, it appears as if Paul may well be on his way to finally finding post-fame happiness in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Ferguson, Jemma Redgrave, (more)
- 1999
The eighth feature-length episode of the British detective series Midsomer Murders, "Dead Man's Eleven" premiered in the U.K. on September 12, 1999. Having had his fill of Midsomer Worthy, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby (John Nettles) prepares to move himself and his family to the village of Fletcher's Cross. Alas, Barnaby's move is delayed by yet another murder: The wife of a prosperous landowner has been brutally bludgeoned to death with a cricket bat. Suspicion immediately falls upon the landowner's son (it was his bat, after all), but with no conclusive evidence, Barnaby and his assistant Troy (Daniel Casey) cannot close the case. And then another murder occurs...and another? "Dead Man's Eleven" first aired in the United States on August 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Nettles, Daniel Casey, (more)
Actor Kenneth Branagh made his directorial debut with a rousing screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V. Four years later, he returns to the bard's work with this lively version of one of Shakespeare's best comedies. Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), the Prince of Aragon, returns victorious from battle to the praises of the Governor of Messina, Leonato (Richard Briers). One of Don Pedro's bravest men, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), falls in love with Hero (Kate Beckinsale), Leonato's daughter, and they plan to marry. However, Don Pedro's devious half-brother Don John (Keanu Reeves) opposes the match, and he devises a plan to turn Hero against Claudio. Meanwhile, Benedict (Branagh), Don Pedro's second-in-command, detests Leonato's niece Beatrice (Emma Thompson), but Don Pedro cleverly brings them together by making each think that the other is secretly in love with them. Much Ado About Nothing also features Michael Keaton in a showy turn as Dogberry. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Michael Keaton, (more)
Author Gerald Durrell's childhood memoir comes to life in this Masterpiece Theater presentation starring Academy Award-nominee Imelda Staunton and detailing the journey of an eccentric family who seeks to escape the dreary English weather by making way to the sun-soaked Greek island of Corfu. Mrs. Durcell is a middle aged widow whose inability to lay down the law with her four adventuresome children has found her embarking on a series of strange adventures. Whether watching patiently as wild, avant-garde writer Larry rabble rouses with his unruly friends, ducking the buckshot of gun-obsessed Leslie, attempting to keep track of teen beauty Margot's bevy of boyfriends, or wondering at youngest son Gerald's amazing ability to bond with animals and insects, Mrs. Durcell is constantly playing catch-up with her energetic children in a household where "normal" is purely subjective and each new day brings a strange and wonderful adventure. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A nanny reveals ways of making children behave that are much more effective than a time-out in this fantasy comedy based on the "Nurse Matilda" books for children by Christianna Brand. Near the dawn of the twentieth century, Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) is a widower who must tend to his business as an undertaker while looking after his brood of seven children. Brown's offspring are a singularly ill-mannered lot who have managed to drive away 17 different nannies when their father arranges for one Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) to help out with the children. McPhee is an strange looking woman with a large nose, protruding teeth, and pock-marked skin, but it isn't long before the kids realize she has magical powers and isn't afraid to use them to help keep them in line. While the children aren't taken with McPhee's insistence on such things as saying "please" and listening to their elders, it becomes clear everyone has bigger things to worry about. Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury) has insisted that if Mr. Brown cannot find a new wife within a month, she'll take custody of one of the children and cut off Brown's inheritance, and while Brown and the widow Mrs. Quickly (Celia Imrie) seem fond of one another, his ineptitude in courtship seems to insure he'll never get her to the altar. But while the Brown Children realize Nanny McPhee is a formidable opponent, she can also be a valuable ally as they learn to make use of her talents by being better children; they also discover that as they behave better, she begins to look less frightening. Emma Thompson, who played the title role in Nanny McPhee, also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, (more)
It's the weight of tradition versus youthful vigor when loudmouth Torquay lawn bowling superstar Cliff Starkey (Paul Kaye) catches wind of an upcoming championship match between England and heated rivals Australia. He's determined to make the national team in a bid to bring his sport-of-choice into the new millennium. Quickly acquiring a flashy American agent (Vince Vaughn) and becoming the most popular player in England, Cliff vows to dethrone traditionalist champion Ray Speight (James Cromwell), who has made no secret his hatred of Cliff's brash showmanship. When Cliff starts seeing Ray's daughter, the competition really begins to heat up. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Kaye, James Cromwell, (more)
This comedy drama, a sort of British version of The Big Chill (1983), was directed by Kenneth Branagh. Ten years after they were members of a music and comedy troupe at Cambridge University, a diverse group of friends in their early 30s gather at the expansive estate of Peter Morton (Stephen Fry), who's invited them there for a reunion. Among the guests are Andrew (Branagh), who has married Carol (Rita Rudner), the star of the American situation comedy he writes; lonely Maggie (Emma Thompson), who thinks she may be in love with Peter; Roger (Hugh Laurie) and Mary (Imelda Staunton), a couple in advertising who have lost a child; and single Sarah (Alphonsia Emmanuel), who's always attracted to the wrong men, including her latest boyfriend, the married Brian (Tony Slattery). Also on hand is Vera (Phyllida Law, the real-life mother of Thompson), a housekeeper who has protectively watched over Peter since childhood. Over the course of the weekend, various jealousies and fears are revealed between joyous feasts, but a startling, tragic announcement from Peter puts everyone's petty dramas into proper perspective. American stand-up comedienne Rudner wrote the screenplay with her husband, (Martin Bergmann). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Alphonsia Emmanuel, (more)
In this Irish fable, a man named Hubert Flynn (Pete Postlethwaite) lives in Dublin and takes pride in his indulgence in beer, gambling, and ignoring his patient wife Conchita (Imelda Staunton). One night, after having a few at the local pub, he slowly begins to evolve into a rat, which has an oddly unenchanting effect on his family. His loving daughter Marietta (Kerry Condon) is all for his new transformation, wanting to shower it with love and care, but she is also in the midst of an impending wedding and wonders if his diminutive appearance might not be acceptable. His son Pius (Andrew Lovern) is headed for the religious order and would rather see him dead. Phelim Spratt (David Wilmot), a greedy, ambitious type, moves into Hubert's bedroom and begins to write an novel of the transformation which he hopes will become a major motion picture. Conchita regards it as yet another of her husband's tricks designed to humiliate her, while Uncle Matt (Frank Kelly) has various theories on why the whole occurrence has taken place. Rat was created with the help of the late Jim Henson's animation company and directed by music video pioneer Steve Barron. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pete Postlethwaite, Imelda Staunton, (more)
- 1997
This comedy of manners from playwright Michael Frayn, author of Noises Off (1992), was based on his teleplay for "Jamie, On a Flying Visit," a 1968 episode of the legendary BBC television series The Wednesday Play (1964-70). Middle class couple Ian (Rik Mayall) and insurance adjuster Lorna (Imelda Staunton) have their troubles, including a rebellious teenage daughter who's dating a car thief, Lorna's frustrated dreams of being a writer, and Ian's joblessness. Then Jamie (Robert Lindsay) appears on their doorstep. An ex-boyfriend that Lorna hasn't seen in twenty years, Jamie's keeping a few secrets past and present, all of which emerge to the chagrin of Ian and Lorna, as Jamie and his buxom girlfriend Georgina (Natalie Walker) are invited to share dinner and then stay the night. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lindsay, Rik Mayall, (more)
