One from the heart
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
Cert 12A Running time 124 minutes ★★★★
Tuck in to this crowd-pleasing tasty feast of a post-war detective story. Served with a heartwarming helping of romance, it’s far more satisfying than it sounds.
Lily James – star of Disney’s live action Cinderella and formerly of Downton Abbey – is Juliet, a successful author sent to Guernsey in 1946 to write about the eponymous book and cookery club which had been established during the wartime Nazi occupation by the locals as a self-support group.
To underscore that the film belongs to James, she’s given a full Hollywood entrance in a stunning yellow ball gown. Always an engaging presence, she sweeps us away with her considerable talent and charm.
Though initially welcomed by the club, its members are reluctant to discuss the whereabouts of the founder member who is mysteriously ‘off island’. So Juliet sets about uncovering the truth of her disappearance.
It’s very much a love letter to the literature of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters so, true to form, our romantically named heroine is caught between the attentions of Glen Powell’s dashing American diplomat, and Michiel Huisman’s hunky book-loving farmer Darcy, sorry, Dawsey.
With complex family loyalties and grief and anger for those lost in the war, the script takes a sideways glance at the UK’S torturous relationship with Europe.
This is an exception to the cinematic rule of thumb which says the length of a film’s title is in inverse proportion to its quality. It’s stuffed with rich characters and set on the picture postcard-pretty island.
Plus, there’s great warmth and humour from the supporting cast, particularly veteran stars Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay.
Director Mike Newell is one of the great unsung heroes of British cinema, due to his unassuming signature style which always puts the story first.
The result is a rewarding and entertaining slice of British fare you can really get your teeth into.
Stuffed with rich characters, it’s set on the picture postcard-pretty island – and there’s great warmth and humour too