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Movies / On DVD / Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

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Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)

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Reviews Counted:55

Fresh:38

Rotten:17

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: Bittersweet and endearing, this film about aging and unexpected friendship is a lovely vehicle for Joan Plowright.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Nov 25, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: Dan Ireland's latest film is the comedy drama, "Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont", based on the best selling novel of the same name, by the late, celebrated English author, Elizabeth Taylor, for... Dan Ireland's latest film is the comedy drama, "Mrs Palfrey at The Claremont", based on the best selling novel of the same name, by the late, celebrated English author, Elizabeth Taylor, for Cineville and Picture Entertainment. The story centers around an elegant elderly lady (Mrs Palfrey) who, after being recently widowed, moves from Scotland to London to be near to her 26 year old grandson, Desmond. When Desmond fails to return any of her several phone calls, or visit her at the resident hotel she is staying (The Claremont), fate brings her together with a young writer, Ludovic Meyer, after she has an accident outside his basement flat. Eventually, Ludo ends up helping Mrs. Palfrey by playing a charade - pretending to be her grandson, so that the other off-beat elderly residents of the hotel believe that she hasn't been lying, and that she really does have a grandson. The two newly found friends discover they have a lot more in common with each other then they do with other people their own age. Ludo inadvertently leads Mrs Palfrey through her past; Mrs Palfrey inadvertently leads Ludo to his future. The young writer finally finds the story he has been looking for all his young life - and Mrs Palfrey finds the 'grandson' she never knew she had. Thus begins a deep-rooted friendship that is far reaching, and everlasting. Along the way, a few problems arise when her real grandson shows up at the hotel. The film starts one of the greatest actresses of our time, Dame Joan Plowright (Enchanted April), aka Lady Laurence Olivier, in the largest and most demanding role of her screen career, and introduces a stunning new actor in a leading role, Rupert Friend (The Libertine, Pride and Prejudice). The supporting cast consists of some of the greatest and most respected actors from the Engligh stage, Anna Massey (Peeping Tom, Frenzy), Georgina Hale (Mahler, The Devils, The Boyfriend), Millicent Martin (Alfie), Clare Higgins (this year's Best Actress Olivier Award winner for her performance in Hecuba), and newcomer Zoe Tapper (Stage Beauty). The film was photographed by Claudio Rocha, Ireland's long time cinematographer, with music by Stephen Barton. The score was produced by Ireland's long time collaborator, Harry Gregson-Williams (Kingdom of Heaven, Domino and Shrek). The film was Produced by Lee Caplin, Zachary Matz and Carl Colpaert. The screenplay was written by Ruth Sacks, with additional dialogue by Martin Donovan and Dan Ireland. -- © Official Site [More]

Starring: Joan Plowright, Rupert Friend, Zoe Tapper, Anna Massey

Starring: Joan Plowright, Rupert Friend, Zoe Tapper, Anna Massey, Robert Lang, Marcia Warren, Georgina Hale, Michael Culkin, Anna Carteret, Millicent Martin, Clare Higgins, Lorcan O'Toole, Timothy Bateson, Olivia Caffrey, Emma Pike, Sophie Linfield, Carl Proctor

Director: Dan Ireland

Director: Dan Ireland
Studio: Cineville

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 12, 2006

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Reviews for Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

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41 - 59 (sorted by date)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

It's a cozy, little film and one worth warming up to during the holidays.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/06/05
E! Online

... a low-key weepy about loneliness and (possibly) learning to conform one's romantic expectations to reality.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/06/05
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film is a quiet triumph for Dame Joan, who portrays Mrs. Palfrey's late-life journey into independence with a heart-tugging simplicity that can only come from a lifetime of great work.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
12/06/05
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

... tedious heart-tugger ...

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
12/06/05
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Boxoffice Magazine

...a terrific homage to the elderly, told in a touching, sometimes humorous, but always sensitive, manner with terrific performances by Joan Plowright and a charismatic Rupert Friend.

Full Review Source: tonymedley.com | comment Comment
12/06/05
Tony Medley
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com

Your time would be much better spent skipping the film and instead calling your grandparents, who would no doubt love to hear from you.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
12/01/05
Tim Grierson
Tim Grierson
L.A. Weekly

A sweet movie that fails to make the distinction between old age and death.

Full Review Source: Monsters and Critics | comment Comment
12/01/05
Ron Wilkinson
Ron Wilkinson
Monsters and Critics

Humorous, bittersweet drama, proving that family can be found where you least expect it.

Full Review Source: www.susangranger.com | comment Comment
11/30/05
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

An endearing, deceptively simple story.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/29/05
Lael Loewenstein
Lael Loewenstein
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The details are what matters, and thanks to a cast of all-star British elders and a mischievous sense of humor, the filmmakers bring those details to vivid life.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
11/29/05
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dan Ireland gives us a bittersweet story of a May- December platonic relationship. Joan Plowright stars in what might be the best role of her career.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
11/29/05
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The story may sometimes overpower you with its honeysuckle sentiment and spiced bathos, but it's a movie that's self-aware enough to make winking references to such films as Harold and Maude and Brief Encounter.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
11/28/05
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[A] terrific, long-overdue vehicle for Lady Olivier.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
11/28/05
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Underneath the sweet, sometimes whimsical friendship of elegant, lonely old Mrs. Palfrey and the handsome young charmer ... lies a serious, melancholy movie about the isolation and marginalization of the elderly.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
11/28/05
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Dame Joan Plowright endows Mrs. Palfrey with stoic charm and decency in this unabashedly sentimental film.

comment Comment
11/25/05
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Too often confuses gooey sentimentality for legit compassion.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
11/22/05
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Harold and Maude as reinterpreted by Masterpiece Theatre.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
11/22/05
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
Film Threat

This earnest, well-observed weepy has more depth than its genteel trappings might imply.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
11/21/05
Mark Holcomb
Mark Holcomb
Village Voice

Dame Joan Plowright has been cast here in the most dominant and demanding role that she has ever undertaken in a 54-year career on stage, screen and television.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
11/16/05
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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