Tortoise in Love

source: Tortoise in Love

Tom mitchelson is "Thomas, the gardener" for a fancy estate. When the new polish governess (alice zawadzki) arrives to look after young Harry, she is quite the beauty. Thomas is quite taken with her. This one is a silly, fun love story, with lots of quirky, real people. Grandma is fun, but off her rocker. And she wants to have a festival like the good ol' days. Stand back! Lots of running gags in this one. Plain, simple fun. Fair amount of laughs. Jokes about dating. Jokes about married life. Moves pretty slowly.. will Tom ever get together with the governess? It's okay. Probably meant for a younger audience? Written and directed by Guy Browning. This is the first, and only film written by, or directed by him.

I generally watch films to pass the time and have not exactly been exstatic about any. Modern called comedies are generally inain. Tortoise in Love was totally different and a genuine comedy somewhat in the old Ealing type. It was a story that was interesting and had some real funny humour that it would be difficult not to laugh at. When you take into account the low budget and a certain amount of DIY by the villagers - it is fantastic. The last films that I saw that were this good were Saving Grace - set in Cornwall and Kinky Boots - set up north.

After a spate of watching really bad romantic films (mostly cable stuff) I stumbled upon this little gem of its genre. Even though it follows the standardised romantic storyline of Couple-Obstacle-Obstacle Overcome, it was refreshing. Having dabbled in writing scripts for amateur theatre, the realisation that this film was mainly done by a small village made it even more memorable. I'll probably see it again at some point. I have a hard time understanding the low rate (at present 5.4). I would surmise it would have gained 6-7 points compared with other stuff out there.

This film is probably not going to appeal to those who enjoy those trite, formulaic Hollywood type romance films. It's a small budget indie and it's nowhere near as bad as some reviewers state. There's a very British humour that's both witty and gentle, something that may be misconstrued by those not in the know. The acting is a bit patchy but overall these are minor flaws in what is actually a very reasonable effort. It does remind me of 40s and 50s British films, filled with slightly daft happenings that when taken as a whole weave a quite wonderful experience. I'm not going to give away any of the plot or touch on the characters except to say that it's a cracking little film well worth the time to watch if you enjoy slower paced film with some good laughs thrown in. As a person who grew up in an English village I was chuckling as many of the characters are quite close to real life people you do find in any English village. The English eccentric is still very much alive and kicking!

Well, people from UK certainly know very well what was behind this movie but for me, living far abroad, it was a total surprise. I watched it as I do with many other movies and it was only after the end that I went and checked on Guy Browning and discovered the facts. So my opinion, unworthy as it always is, was at least totally unbiased. I found it charming, especially the sentimental education Tortoise receives from his neighbors about what women really want… I found that Guy Browning showed originality (which is something I value the most) and did a good job. May be village annual party was a bit too long and repetitive, may be Anya's character could have had a deeper development but in the end the joy of making the movie and the good life of Kingston Bagpuize pass in the film and that's enough.

Tortoise in Love is a classic British RomCom. Set in a typically sleepy English village, the film centres around the manor house and tells the love story of Tom (the Gardener), Anya (the Au Pair) and the village that helps bring them together. And Tom needs all the help he can get. Sometimes the film is a little slow in pace, but the title gives that much away. One or two of the gags are cringe-worthy but more of them made me laugh out loud. Overall the film is charming and funny. It has a wonderful heart-warming and feel-good effect. I think it is perfect viewing for a lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the TV.

We screened this film recently at our little wooden village hall, having already seen it once last year. This community effort with mainly amateur actors, set in a gorgeous country house, in a pretty Oxfordshire village, was very well received. The story is deliberately slow, which is indicated by the title, with mostly quintessentially English characters and a nod to "The Go Between". While the audience are aware of the plot from the outset,the gentle comedy carried our audience along joyfully. This is not a film for viewers who want car crashes and gun fights. It celebrates the small pleasures in life: music, plants, love & constancy. Made on a small budget, it is refreshing to see such a charming result. The inhabitants of Kingston Bagpuize can rightly be very proud of their work.

Really enjoyed this gentle comedy. A film about a small community, made by a small community. It is fun, light hearted and warm. Would definitely recommend for a bit of Sunday evening escapism and a glimpse into English rural life. Plenty of endearing comedy set in a beautiful location. The main characters are goofy but likable and if you are in the mood, this is a lovely little gem. This film was screened at a local venue and was accompanied by an excellent talk about how it came into existence. Guy Browning is an excellent and amusing speaker, who has invested loads into his local community.

If you like Boulting Brothers, London Bridge, Two Lions, or Ealing comedies of the 1950s (and it is probably my favourite genre) then you will like this - it has much of the same sensibilities and is in the same lineage. Other reviewers have slammed this with 1s or 2s, or overpraised it with 10s - I'm glad I didn't read them before I saw Tortoise in Love as this is, like most romantic comedies, neither exceptionally good and certainly not exceptionally bad. The film is fun and even funny - it is a very British take on love - as the hero cannot express his feelings for the Polish au-pair. All set in a world full of Thomas Hardy accents, gorgeous Georgian architecture, and rolling fields it is a very easy watch. It's all a little too fake and perfect for the real modern Britain - and it looks implausibly false in many, many ways. But, the script was fun. All in all, nowhere near as bad as some as suggesting - but it is a little too prissy, rather than charming, to really fly...