Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

A wonderfully acted small movie set on a wedding day in an upper middle class English country home, although the country is irrelevant, the wealthier from Mumbai, Charlotte or Cape Town are all the same, just with different accents and nuances. I can see this would be a great movie to be adapted for the stage, it has that J B Priestley feel. Well done.

I'd rate this film 8 out of 10 as it was more satisfying than I expected. I have no regrets over watching it even though most of the characters were quite irksome. Felicity Jones has been a favourite of mine ever since Northanger Abbey and I relished the opportunity of seeing her here as an entitled and tired young woman who has grown up a little too quickly. Here we are, a wedding about to begin with the brooding bride left completely to her owns devices, assorted eccentric relatives chit- chatting downstairs and a former lover (which is obvious from the start) driving everybody crazy including the viewer. The brewing situation is quite predictable, I fail to see the need for all concerned to be ever so dramatic about it. I do believe that the bride is the only one who has the right to it. It is her life that will be tied down to a happy-go-lucky guy who is either not very bright or doesn't care enough about her to take her pet on their journey to live on another continent. This film is really atmospheric, the sets are beautiful as well as the costumes although I can't say the same for Felicity's hair (what were they thinking? It looks like a wig that's askew). The jilted lover is quite a pathetic figure who keeps getting on everybody's nerves after foolishly attending a wedding of a former lover - an invitation to which he should have obviously refused. He does provide the most satisfying drama at the end and is quite pleasant to look at. Despite all that he is a pathetic figure of a man who explodes (I have to admit - not without outrageous provocation) and offloads his unwanted feelings onto a room of onlookers after failing to do anything about getting the woman he wanted. She might have broken his heart - but what has he done about it? Spending some time with her, dancing a bit, chasing her in a boat and having sex with her after she initiated does not a proposal make. He admits that he never wanted to marry her - so what did he want? This unnecessary self-important romantic aggravation makes him an unsympathetic character. We are left with the aftermath of a storm in a teacup and a gleeful telephone conversation the newlywed's mother is having with one of her colourful relatives. And they were a sight indeed: an overly dramatic younger sister looking for high romance and finding it in the bushes, silly cousins with a lampshade, a vulgar aunt with a Hitler look- alike chauffeur, spoilt child of a bitter couple with a truly odd sense of marital happiness - all eccentric, sad and amusing in their own ways. My favourite character is the friend/cousin with beautiful hair, clothes, face and sensitivity that is completely at odds with everybody else. The one thing I can't understand is why the need to be so mean to that sad little aunt who gets put in the same room as the tall man - a priest uncle? She seems harmless and nowhere as annoying as the bride's mother or the vulgar aunt. All in all, a comic, at times poignant and somewhat bleak portrayal of an upper class English family with wonderful cinematography.

If you're looking for a nice romantic period drama, this isn't it. It's a great cast and could have been a 6 or 7/10, if the ending was more satisfying. Also, Felicity Jones was great, but as the character often appears sociopathic, odd and cold, it made it difficult to care about her. We see very little of her fiancé, James Norton character, and nothing of their relationship. The only 'happiness' and romance was shown in flashbacks with Joseph, which made the ending even harder to like or understand. Joseph was compelling and held up the film, he was excellent. Shame about the story & sociopath lead character.

Inside a storm is brewing! Director Donald Rice and writer Mary Henely-Magill have created a wonderful story about a collection of maybe stereotypical British characters gathered together at a grand country side estate for a wedding. The bride, Dolly, realizes she's making a mistake to marry Luke because she still loves Joseph. Joseph shows up to hopefully rescue her from this mistake. But circumstance and the lack of courage in both leave both brokenhearted. The house fills with silly and forceful characters that create a day of confusion and anger. This is a fun and thoughtful film for those who can tune into subdued British humor.

I like the European style of filming that it is so far from the American ping-pong style of using the camera. I bet that they used two cameras instead of the cheap one camera usage. I like the way the story was suggested which is a good exercise for the brain of the person watching. I liked the end that was also suggested rather than a Hallmark soap movies. This is the way to illustrate feelings. Up to the end the screenplay is unpredictable. The screenplay catches the sense of the feelings were suppressed in that era. Overall, I was delighted to watch this movie and I stick to my personal opinion because I watched hundreds of movies.

A subtle tale of families and romance and reality, beautifully shot, with an underlying humour and sadness. The interplay of characters was brilliant. Loved it.

I suppose, it is one of film for who the borders between I loike it- it is boring- it has not subject-I love it are more than fragil. But it is a honest and beautiful film, remembering the universe proposed by James ivory and giving a large slice of very salted cake. Beautiful acting, inspired cinematography, well crafted dialogues and a blind venerable servant near a special turtle, a summer romance of past and the wedding of present , fragility, joy and connected lives and absolutely fair end. For me, was a more than pleasant surprise and its English bitterness is served in the most admirable manner , like a cup of black tea. So, a beautiful, in profound sense, for so many motives, film. First, for the lovely honest perspective about love, duty and choices.

Watched this on an aeroplane (in first class, could've been a wee bit inebriated....) and thought it was absolutely wonderful. Nothing cheerful though but I could watch Felicity Jones all day and never tire. Great script and casting and if the "olden day" farces has been this on the money we'd still be watching Brian Rix, Derek Dimmo and co to this very day.

"If ..." is the leading word for this movie. But, beside 'if' Dolly was not sent to Albania and it did not happen. The flash backs tells the why's. What is not told is subtle between the lines: Dolly seems to be pregnant and is married with haste to the stand-in Tom Owen. But why invited Dolly Joseph, her summery adventure? He is not told of her assumed pregnancy and unable to do what a noble and gentle English should have done. But "time and tide waits not" is said and the blind servant, passing the glasshouse, sees everything. Joseph and Dolly where inseparable just past summer, up until he left for Greece. Tom Owen is in this British Victorian "Downton Abbey" of 1932 Josephs stand-in as second choice. Everybody is happy to take their part in this staged unhappy happiness. "Are you?" "If you know it, it's too late" is said. The title "Cheerful Weather" focuses the sunny weather, but everything else is far beyond sunny cheerfulness. Has the stand-in Tom a deal? As in "The Day after the Fair". The pregnant illiterate maid Anna, helped by her mistress with the letter-writing to her lover she met at Salsbury fair. The cheated barrister accepts to marry Annas body, telling upper class Edith, the author of the letters: "Legally I marry Anna, in my heart I marry you." "Do you feel less happy if you know you are happy?" is asked. "I 'wish' you could give me a reason to come with you." And the warning: "Be careful what you wish." No reason to run away. Tradition is stronger. Why invited Dolly her summer love to her wedding and does not see him? She upstairs. He downstairs. Neither she goes downstairs or he upstairs before it is too late and jump the fence of tradition. Waiting for the other to take the jump: unaware that nobody can take the decision to jump for the other. They see each other. Downstairs. In time or too late? Ready for the run? Used to traditional happy ends - actually here: no happy end. We wait as we are used but it does not happen. Unable to witness the act in church he stays at him: should have been his wedding. But "circumstances intervene." But beyond circumstances and what is called destiny? Beyond tradition. Was this the reason that he was invited, waiting for him upstairs. Ready for the run.

Downton Abbey , Gosford Park very very pale imitation without the story witt or pace of those. Great camera work, costumes and acting but a bummer of a story and script. Very slow and soon becomes irritating to watch. We only finished because we couldn't believe there was no point until too late.