IMDb RATING
6.0/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
A young Englishwoman spends twenty years to make whatever kind of life for herself, at the expense of others around her, in post-World War II England.A young Englishwoman spends twenty years to make whatever kind of life for herself, at the expense of others around her, in post-World War II England.A young Englishwoman spends twenty years to make whatever kind of life for herself, at the expense of others around her, in post-World War II England.
- Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 2 wins & 5 nominations total
André Maranne
- Villon
- (as Andre Maranne)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe "Plenty" title of this movie and its source stage play is derived from the concept that in the post-World War II period, there would be a time of plenty and fulsomeness with England, "a land of plenty", but this ended up being proven false.
- GoofsQueen Elizabeth II's coronation was in 1953, yet the flag display in the background includes the Canadian "maple leaf" flag which was not adopted until 1965.
- Quotes
Susan Traherne: I would stop, I would stop, I would stop fucking talking if I ever heard anybody else say anything worth fucking stopping talking for!
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Crossover Dreams/Maxie/Mishima/Plenty (1985)
Featured review
an under-rated tour de force
"Plenty" needs to be seen on a big screen in a theatre; more than most, this is a film that suffers in its translation to a TV screen. (Among other things, there are scenes that are simply ruined in the format change--like the hilarious scene of Streep and Sting on a sofa as Queen Elizabeth's coronation plays live on the tellie!) Sound is also important to fully appreciating the film--like the constant reminders of the sound of opening parachutes that echo throughout the story.
It's easy to understand why the film was not a box office success; it focuses on a woman who is not terribly likeable, but I contend that it is a movie rich in observations that transcend post-war Britain and the borish woman who develops in that milieu. "Plenty" is (among other things) about passion, diplomacy, memory, self-deception and the great expectations that are so easily squashed in our unheroic modern world. The film (and Hare's play before it) revolves around a crucial scene brilliantly played by a startlingly mad Streep and Ian McKellan's icily insightful foreign service officer--well past the film's mid-point. After his long-in-coming dose of reality, Streep's Susan takes a tailspin into the movie's melancholy conclusion. It's not an easy film to "enjoy," but the uniformly brilliant performances from Streep, Charles Dance, Tracy Ullman and John Gielgud make the film fascinating to watch and rewarding to have experienced.
It's easy to understand why the film was not a box office success; it focuses on a woman who is not terribly likeable, but I contend that it is a movie rich in observations that transcend post-war Britain and the borish woman who develops in that milieu. "Plenty" is (among other things) about passion, diplomacy, memory, self-deception and the great expectations that are so easily squashed in our unheroic modern world. The film (and Hare's play before it) revolves around a crucial scene brilliantly played by a startlingly mad Streep and Ian McKellan's icily insightful foreign service officer--well past the film's mid-point. After his long-in-coming dose of reality, Streep's Susan takes a tailspin into the movie's melancholy conclusion. It's not an easy film to "enjoy," but the uniformly brilliant performances from Streep, Charles Dance, Tracy Ullman and John Gielgud make the film fascinating to watch and rewarding to have experienced.
helpful•418
- RG-5
- Sep 30, 1998
- How long is Plenty?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,148,000
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $436,266
- Sep 22, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $6,148,000
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content