Keeping Mum (2005) User Reviews

Great black comedy reviving a British tradition

[rob-1955 · 8/10 · 5 December 2005]

This great black comedy in the British tradition appeals to all generations. I went with my mother, wife and son and we all enjoyed it very much.

My 20-year-old son, who was not accustomed to this type of dark humour, was quite startled at how murder was portrayed in an off-hand, humorous way. I felt it was a revival of a genre going back to the "Wrong Box" [1966] and before. This film does not dwell on the violence, the gore, the sentiment or the psychological aspects of murder. It seems to be standard fare for most films but it didn't seem appropriate here.

As much I respect, Rowan Atkinson as a comedian, I was concerned that this film would be in the Mr Bean or Black Adder vein. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rowan Atkinson is a very good actor. Most of the time, he played his role as an absent-minded vicar in an understated and sometimes quite touching way. Mr Bean fans will have their moments. There's also lots of innuendo combined with more subtle humour.

Maggie Smith is as ever excellent. The rest of the cast play their archetypal characters or in the case of Patrick Swayze's caricature well.

Though I was able to predict the overall plot, the story is entertaining and there is a gentle message about marital problems, the generation gap and hypocrisy. The scenery mainly in the Isle of Man and partly in Cornwall is stunning.

I recommend it highly.

I saw this film recently and I was pleasantly surprised.

[ramhouse3 · 7/10 · 30 November 2005]

I saw this film recently and I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of the old Ealing Comedies as it was charming but had a definite sense of delicious wickedness running through it. All of the main characters are funny in their own way particularly Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith. It reminded me so much of and Ealing Comedy that after a while I could only see Alec Guinness in drag when Maggie Smith was on screen. Kristin Scott Thomas started out as being being a bit of a female Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral and showed that she can be quite funny but towards the end she gets a little unconvincing once some revelations unfold. All in all it has it's minor misgivings and gets a little too silly and unbelievable in places but I'd give it a go.

Charming comedy, beautifully played.

[charles-scott · 8/10 · 3 December 2005]

I thoroughly enjoyed this gentle comedy which as other reviews have mentioned is in the best traditions of British film comedy, pre "Carry On". The action is gentle paced and contains no surprises, as the plot opener spells out the likely twists and turns. The characters are stock British parts, almost "off the peg". It is not a film for belly laughs but the comedy is there, but not from Rowan Atkinson who plays the role of vicar with as straight a bat as one could wish. The other well knows actors all ham it up beautifully and the Isle of Man looks wonderful and, like the film, twenty years out of date. I particularly liked Patrick Swayze's reptilian lothario and Maggie Smith was her usual immaculate self.

Watch Out For...Mom!

[Chrysanthepop · 15 October 2008]

Niall Johnson's 'Keeping Mom' is a delightful black comedy. Russo and Johnson's innovative screenplay, the pleasant score and the surprising cast and the dark humour is brilliantly put together. At the same time, the characters are very identifiable. After all, Grace is just a mother who's protecting her children, Gloria just wants her husband's affection, Walter just wants to excel in his 'profession' and Lance is a sleaze you might have met once. Yet, the story cleverly takes them to extreme ends that results in murder, infidelity and voyeurism. Pretty much all the actors are cast in roles you have never seen them play before. Kristin Scott Thomas is the heart of the film (as the director himself stated) and she performs very naturally. While Atkinson has played Reverend earlier, he actually delivers a very subtle performance where he downplays the comedy (unlike his regular in-your-face comedy sketches). He is proving to be a versatile comedian. I loved how Patrick Swayze makes fun of his iconic status in an indirect way. The actor is excellent as the jerk and it has been ages since he has been in something worthwhile. Liz Smith is fun to watch as the annoying and nosy flower committee member. Emilia Fox is very good as the nonchalant killer and Maggie Smith is hilarious! This lady has never let down and she is a complete delight to watch as she goes on 'protecting' her family. 'Love the actress! The location shots are amazing. The fictitious town looks lovely yet the director manages to successfully bring out the coldness and boredom. The stunning cinematography deserves mention too. 'Keeping Mom' is a small but wonderfully innovative film that had me laughing all the way.

Forget the plot holes, enjoy the ride

[mjdt · 6/10 · 5 December 2005]

The story is preposterous, so it's best to ignore it and enjoy the performances from a band of highly skilled professionals on top of their game.

Forget that this is probably the only grand Rectory left in church ownership - or that a vicar whose ex-orphan wife doesn't work can afford to run it AND employ a housekeeper (who would probably be paid more than he earns) AND pay for his wife's golf lessons - or that the wife, who is the sensible rock of the family turns out to be as mad as her mother - as does her daughter. Forget that the inside of the church is a lot smaller than the outside (a reverse TARDIS?).

Forget all that, suspend your disbelief and move into Grimms fairy story land. It's charming, with sharp touches of edge and blackness.

Go on, have a laugh

[PipAndSqueak · 7/10 · 7 December 2005]

You could drive a horse and cart through the plot holes in this movie. It doesn't matter, just splash about in the humour. It has the predictability of a Stan and Ollie routine, Morecambe & Wise or any other such comedians who mix story telling with visual and verbal humour. Rowan Atkinson is of course the comedian cast in the straight part trying to regain a sense of humour. Maggie Smith is absolutely superb as the straight actress playing the clowning criminal. A bit of sound effect filched from Reeves and Mortimer's frying pan sketch would have heightened the humour even more. Never mind, this is harmless, charming, and engaging entertainment. Entertainment - now we don't get much of that to the pound usually.

A Sea of Troubles in a Lighthearted Way

[Bologna King · 7/10 · 26 February 2007]

Gloria (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a woman with problems. Her clergyman husband seems not to notice that she's there, and she resents his job, her daughter is sex-mad and her son is being bullied, and she is deprived of sleep by the incessant yapping of the neighbour's dog. Then into her life walks an angel in the form of a new housekeeper, Grace.

Thomas does very well with the central role in the film, Rowan Atkinson is absolutely brilliant as the mild-mannered clergyman Walter, and Maggie Smith is amazing as always as Grace.

This is not a side-splitter comedy but it is certainly a comedy, as it deals with a number of serious issues of religion and morality with a light touch. Primary among these issues is the age old question of "whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings of arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them." Gloria's approach to her "sea of troubles" is the approach of Job, and sure enough we hear echoes of this as Walter composes a sermon referring to the Book of Job. Grace has another approach.

Having a character who is a vicar enables the filmmakers to slip such Biblical references naturally into the script. It is a definite treat to hear Atkinson read the Bible (and in circumstances which make the viewer actually listen to what is being said!). Even with the Bible-reading, though, do not make the mistake of thinking that this is a film for young kiddies or prudes.

The film is so deftly made that there is always a lighthearted tone no matter how dark the subject matter, and the acting ranges from solid to exceptional. It's not the greatest film ever made but it is engaging and enjoyable.

Surprisingly wonderful English comedy

[crogerson · 9/10 · 4 December 2005]

This is an almost perfect "naughty" English comedy whose humour is too complicated to be described. Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith, and the rest of the cast are perfect. This is the most understated I have ever seen Atkinson, and marks an interesting evolution for him. Two young ladies in front of me were still giggling halfway through the closing credits, and the entire audience, judging from the laughter, had a great time. I chuckled all the way home - think I'll go see it again tonight, as I have an "Unlimited" card, so can see as many movies as I like for 11 pounds a month.

Seriously, this is not a "sweetness-and-light" comedy - it has a dark side, which is evident from the beginning, but that aspect drives the humour, because it touches feelings in us which we must restrain, but in watching the film we are allowed to indulge them. It also has a lot of very deep things to say about marriage and religion (Atkinson plays a shy, self- absorbed country vicar with a beautiful wife and daughter whom he neglects) without indulging in the usual superficial post-modern ironic attacks on either institution. In fact, it has some very intelligent things to say about both of them.

You really must see this movie - it is a gem - if you know people who don't normally go to the movies (like older in-laws) urge them to see this one, or at least rent the DVD.

Sweetly dark accessible British comedy

[oneloveall · 6/10 · 21 February 2007]

This charming little black comedy should have all but ultra conservatives smiling throughout the ludicrous scripting, eluding gaping plot holes and complete unrealism with sheer likability. A friendly, very export-worthy British comedy, Keeping Mum is a throwback to guilt free, sinister joys that were in much greater fashion before everyone decided to let their films guide their morality. Nothing has recently personified this old fashioned, fun spirited creepiness as affectionately as Maggie Smith's vibrant performance for her semi-cuckoo, housemaid with a few secrets of her own. With a delightful, perceptive supporting cast, the plot may not exactly pull you in (especially the first half), but will nonetheless keep pleasant spirits anchored as the real fun takes hold. Rowan Atkinson in particular, portraying a character not unlike his famous bumbling priest in Four Weddings and a Funeral, gets to exercise more of his subtle comedic chops then usually seen, and the ensuing awkwardness that radiates whenever he is on screen is sweet and endearing.

Despite the obvious tone of an utmost fictionalization, I suppose Keeping Mum will still take a few hits for it's portrayal of religion and murder, but anyone seriously trying to analyze the lack of morality on this one will have missed the whole carefree point. The characters might have been completely unbelievable by the time this thing is over, but the nature of this kind of entertainment does not beckon one to take offense to that.

A seriously entertaining movie

[newhopes · 9/10 · 25 February 2006]

I went to this movie looking forward to a mindless comedy. I was very pleasantly surprised. Very! I was first introduced to Rowan Atkinson in the 70's and have only seen him in silly, caricature ( a caricature of himself) type roles and I love him in these roles. But he did an amazing job as a serious, thoughtful (bordering on glum) Vicar, and was absolutely believable as his journey and his attitude changed ... I would never have put him in such a role, but he really pulled it off. I was also surprised, pleasantly, at the intense spiritual undertones (okay, at times overtones) woven throughout this most enjoyable film. It was interesting to see a movie use religion as a backdrop for such a deep look into what (in my humble opinion) is clearly a non-religious aspect of human spirituality.

Worth the wait.

[keithmp · 7/10 · 13 June 2006]

I had to wait quite a while before I could show Keeping Mum at the Century Theatre in Coalville, Leicestershire. Being on the non-theatrical circuit, it's always a slow process obtaining films released by Entertainment Films. However, I had a feeling this British comedy would appeal to our mature audience (including myself!). I was right, a very popular choice...and it was worth the wait. To be honest, anything featuring Maggie Smith or Judi Dench can't fail at the Century and, as expected, Maggie steals the show as usual in this picture, with a very restrained but humorous portrayal of the mysterious new housekeeper to pastor Rowan Atkinson and his errant family. Atkinson also does well, underplaying nicely in his role, but typically funny in the village soccer match. Also, a very emotional scene when he delivers his speech at the conference. I certainly won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen this very dark comedy but I will say, don't miss the very start of the film, as this is obviously of great importance to what follows. Another Brit success!

Funny, sweet, heartwarming, refreshing

[kedikatt-1 · 10/10 · 15 February 2006]

This movie is - in my humble opinion - a gem absolutely worth watching, and watching, and watching again. I found it genuinely funny, and laughed the whole movie through (and judging from the decibel level in the cinema the people around me enjoyed it too. :) It was refreshing, and gave me much of the same feeling as when I first saw Ocean's Eleven... it's one of those 'they don't make movies like these anymore' (only they do - sometimes), if you know what I mean. I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I was especially impressed by the performance of Rowan Atkinson, who plays a more down-to-earth character than I'm used to seeing him play, and I think it suits him very well. He doesn't reduce the good reverend to a clown, but makes him sweet, realistic and lovable. Kudos also to Kristen Scott Thomas, who gives Gloria a heart, and the ever so amazing Dame Maggie Smith, who gives Rosie a soul. Bottom line: I recommend it wholeheartedly!

A Little Flower of Black Humor

[native_girl333 · 6/10 · 19 August 2006]

"Keeping Mum" is tells a story of the family Goodfellow. The father (Rowan Atkinson) is a wicker and he has a wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) and two children. Gloria Goodfellow (Scott Thomas) is bored with her love life and considers to runaway with her dashing golf instructor (delightfully sleazy Patrick Swayze). Then suddenly the family's life changes because of the new housekeeper (still vibrant Maggie Smith). There is a buried secret underneath.

I am not sure if it was the intention of the movie makers to reveal a lot in the film title. There isn't any much surprising turns in the whole film. It is definitely entertaining but the plot is quite ordinary and the movie just goes like straight to the end.

I have to give a huge plus to the black humor in the film. The film has its moments but unfortunately that isn't enough to save the picture. Another plus for the fact that Rowan Artkinson has moved on from his Mr.Bean days to different kind of roles that are not so overshooting, even though Mr.Bean is always Mr.Bean.

The movie is like "Serial Mom" meets "Dirty Dancing". Patrick Swayze's role of Lance is a bit self-ironic. That is a great thing that you can laugh to yourself! The ending raises my grade a bit :D Daughter like the mother...

Maggie Smith as psycho housekeeper in American-tinged Britcom

[BOUF · 5/10 · 10 April 2006]

Maggie Smith is the real star of this very old-fashioned British comedy. She plays a sweet old homicidal maniac, who comes to work as a housekeeper for a set-in-his-ways vicar (Rowan Atkinson) in the parish of Little Wallop (a dinky little English village). The vicar's frustrated wife (Kristin Scott-Thomas) is about to embark on an affair with her golf instructor, Patrick Swayze (hilarious). What she doesn't know is that mad Maggie will literally kill to prevent this. This is a jolly, quite black comedy of the scale usually reserved for TV – except here it's got a decent budget, and is very lushly photographed with an American feel to its production values. It has a leisurely pace, a rather self-conscious charm, and some fairly obvious gags, but Maggie Smith (in a more restrained mode than usual) has some excellent moments. My main problem is my allergy to Rowan Atkinson, who, while adequate, seems wasted here playing a cardiganed innocent. Miss Scott-Thomas however, is, as always, entirely charming.

Dark smiles.

[shu-fen · 6/10 · 14 August 2006]

The billboard reminded me so deeply of the ineffectual efforts on Johnny English that my interest was kindled only when the plastic disc came out.

While brisk discussions are mostly on Tamsin Egerton's seemingly under-aged topless scene, I find the deadpan Mr Bean's love scene (technically not exactly a sex scene) is also worth talking about because in the first place I didn't expect anything surprising or novel from him, but now this one is the one. A sigh to this sub-plot that the "body-seal defence mechanism" of the perpetually profanity-free comedian is pronounced insensitized and he goes with the Hollywood tide to get primitive with an actress and show some flesh as a "good fellow vicar", though the related plot is about normal conjugal behaviour. The time and tide peels off the coating of the Bean. Is this his virgin exposure? Might or could be. How many on-screen bed-mates has he had? Blank mind.

Skimming through the stellar cast list, my eyes got caught by the time-tested thespian Lady, Maggie Smith. Very sure acting has fused into each and every one of her cells. To see her acting is a high enjoyment. Without doubt, she is good at being characters of power like Mother General of a convent, the head of an illustrious family of nobility… Yet as a "little grace (Grace)" to the Goodfellows, she incarnates wonderfully a minister's daughter, a betrayed wife with crooked idea of justice embedded inside her head: I disapprove them so I drown them. In actuality, MS just needs to sit down and you then look at her, immediately what you can have is poise, patrician air, English elegance and refinement. Dame Maggie Smith is an exclusive label.

I would not say the Goodfellow's problems in the story are fabrication. On the contrary, the cruel reality is that they may be encroaching many families even in a vicar's home and not only in the UK: dysfunctional but supposed religious family or figures, sexless marriage, the affair of a vicar's bored wife, the physically weak (the pregnant English Grace Hawkins and also her aged version) killing the physically strong (Lance the American) by drowning, sending a murderer to help is God's mysterious way, a murderer mother whom you have never met suddenly appears at your doorstep… Mostly these are of some heaviness in life, yet they are dealt lightly or casually in the story. The black humour showcased is sheerly English (not even British).

The life of an everyone-knows-everyone closed society of a 57-head village is well captured. Neighbours watch the living of one another, they gossip, they wonder about the absence of the vicar's wife after the Sunday morning service, their time is spent on the trivia of Wallop. Another noteworthy feature is the wardrobe of Kristin Scott Thomas. It makes KS Thomas looks exactly like an English country housewife. I just recall her graceful appearance as a noble lady, a successful and well-off businesswoman or a rich man's wife in other works. A village vicar's wife? Cosmetic and clothes are much on demand to turn her into a down-to-earth and plain woman, and bingo! God's way is mysterious. And Grace Hawkins's way is also dark and mysterious too. The film had better be renamed: "Sneaky mum" or "Freaky mom".

Guardian/avenging angel

[harry_tk_yung · 19 February 2006]

Ever got so frustrated with all the irritating, annoying to outright despicable people around you that you want to kill them all ("and the little dog too" as the WW of the W would say)? Ever gone even as far as engaging in a fantasy that you are really doing it? Better still, your guardian cum avenging angel shows up from nowhere and does it for you? If the answer to all the above is yes, you should love "Keeping mum". It's the sort of black comedy that should be enjoyed with a sense of humour, meaning not to take it too seriously. You are not going to REALLY go out and start killing a whole bunch of people after watching the movie, are you? Just go and have a lovely time. Remember also, it's British.

Reverend Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson) has what looks like a perfect, model family which however has its share of little problems - a fashion-model-looking 17-year old daughter "with a libido", a still younger son who is perpetually bullied at school and a lovely wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) who is "not getting enough". He is partly to blame because in being completely absorbed in his divine callings, he neglects his family. But he doesn't deserve the consequences of a golf-pro lover for his wife and an assortment of weirdo boyfriends for his daughter.

In comes the guardian/avenging angel, one old housekeeper Grace Hawkins (Maggie Smith) who, unknown to the family, is a psychopathic killer who chopped up her husband and his lover 40 years ago, and is now out on parole. I would not get into the interesting little details of how Grace sets out on a path to put things right for the family, nor the all-too-obvious plot twist.

Comical situations aside, the movie makes a lot of word plays - "She always comes on time" comments the lecherous golf pro to the unknowing husband, "He is away taking a holiday, down under" says Grace about someone she just killed and dumped into the pond, and a lot more. But it's superb actors like Thomas and Smith that make this movie entertaining and very watchable, effortlessly too. Atkinson has done his very best, and quite successfully, to shed his Mr. Beans image, playing the immensely likable vicar.

This movie is not without moments to ponder over, nor elegant touches such as using Chapter 7 of Song of Solomon to awaken the Vicar's erotic senses. But on the whole the mood of a black comedy, laced with British humour, dominates. If that's your cup of tea, you should enjoy "Keeping mum" which, incidentally, refers to what the women agree to do regarding telling the good Rev. Goodfellow nothing. More about the plot I will not reveal.

great black comedy starring the incomparable Maggie Smith

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 21 December 2011]

As a young woman, Grace Hopkins was sent to prison for an indeterminate period of time after killing her husband and his lover and stuffing them in a trunk. Unfortunately, on a train trip, blood started leaking out of the trunk, and Grace was caught. Years later, Grace (now Maggie Smith) becomes the housekeeper for a minister's family. The minister, Walter (Rowan Atkinson) is a forgetful person, preoccupied with his work -- so preoccupied that he's stopped having sex with his wife Gloria (Kristen Scott Thomas) who is contemplating an affair with her golf pro Lance (Patrick Swayze). Walter's and Gloria's beautiful older daughter (Tamsin Egerton) is a nympho and knows her mom isn't getting any, and their son (Toby Parkes) is the object of bullying at school.

Grace sets about making things right for the family, but sometimes her methods are a bit questionable.

"Keeping Mum" is a wonderful English comedy, and the performances are superb. Maggie Smith as a sweet-seeming but ruthless old woman is a riot. Kristen Scott Thomas does a fantastic job as Gloria, unhappy but unsure about having an affair with the randy Lance. Though it was sad to see Patrick Swayze and realize he's gone, he was perfect as the horny golf pro who gives the sexiest golf lessons around. Rowan Atkinson, as the dim minister, is marvelous, growing from a man lacking in self-confidence to taking on a new presence in his life and ministry.

Highly recommended. I had the great privilege of seeing Maggie Smith on-stage in "Lettice and Lovage" and she was magnificent. I'm afraid that opportunity won't come again. What a joy to be able to see her in films.

Nicely filmed with some original moments

[nicholas.rhodes · 7/10 · 18 April 2006]

The best part of this film was the very final scene showing the resting place of the over-zealous pond doctors! Now that DID make me laugh ! My global appreciation remains positive, picture quality is very good and the sets which were shot in Cornwall, England were magnificent. The choice of title was excellent. The sound track was memorable and well suited to the film. I had never seen Rowan Atkinson in any other film outside the Mr Bean series, so it was interesting to see him in another register, albeit a fairly weak one. But he carries his rôle off to perfection. The film has a type of humour rather special and will only appeal to a limited section of the worlds population. The closest I could find to it was the Ealing comedies "Ladykillers" and "Kind Hearts and Coronets", so one must assume that the film is destined to British audiences to be appreciated. I cannot see this appealing to the Americans or the French as their sense of humour is much more basic and slapstick-orientated ( Jerry Lewis "tarte à la crème" style ). It's not the Mr Bean humour either as that is mostly gesticulatory with little oral participation. As to the plot, it is reasonably interesting although it can be more or less guessed from the outset, add to this that I do like most of the actors, Swayze a little less in a comedic rôle but Maggie Smith and KST were both memorable in their performances. I have only watched the film once and reserve my final judgement for after 2 or 3 viewings. Definitely a useful addition to today's ever-growing number of films !

a wonderful British black comedy

[news-121 · 9/10 · 2 December 2005]

highly entertaining, good black comedy.

What seems like a perfect setting in middle england, with Rowan Atkinson who plays the local vicar.

But all is not perfect in the family, with his wife yearning for more fun in life & his daughter getting too much fun & his son being bullied at school.

The vicar has lost his sense of humour over the years.

Things all change with the arrival of the new housekeeper, played by Maggie Smith.

A surprising role for Patrick Swayze as the local gold pro but played well.

Good fun film

Great cast; almost superb movie. Major flaws however, and the 'cheap shot' ending, dampen one's enthusiasm

[bopdog · 7/10 · 3 December 2005]

To adequately deal with this movie's strength's and weaknesses, a few plot points must be frankly discussed. The cast is superb--- duh. Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott-Thomas, and Patrick Swayze do not need the likes of me to commend them. They are all great. Even the secondary and tertiary characters were also brilliantly cast. The movie was well-written, well photographed, and extremely well acted. So why is it only a '7' out of '10'? This is because of the way death was dealt a bit too easily. I know, it's a dark comedy, and killing folks is only pretend--- it's acting, and all of that. But momentarily taking a somewhat Freudian paraphrase, that there are no jokes, but, rather, truths told with a giggle.

How is it funny to kill a dog for offending the neighborhood with its barking? As annoying as that is, the dog's owner was just a lonely old man, who was mostly deaf. He couldn't hear his barking mutt. So how is it funny, even 'darkly' funny, to then kill the old fellow as well? We could hear the dog being hit over the head with a shovel, then yelping as it died. Sorry, I just find it too hard to joke about that.And the final scene--- that shook me a bit. I had been lead along a different path up to that point--- thinking, if not happy ending, at least a 'realistic' return to what actual human beings would do to resolve love affairs, family crises, mid-life ennui, and the like. Instead, we we are thrown off track completely, and the lovely young daughter, and her mother, the sensible and loving middle-aged wife, become mass murderers themselves. That was clearly taking an easy laugh, and a cheap shot ending.

The logic of the situation is faulty--- all those cowboy boots and bright yellow slickers in the shallow front-garden pond will surely be discovered soon enough (yes, yes, I know. It's a comedy, and I shouldn't worry about such details). But even in my 'suspended disbelief', even in my willingness to travel a bit in the fantastical world of movie-land, those murders were simply too much for me to handle and accept.

Otherwise, this was a '10'--- but I had to give it a nonetheless very generous 7.

Mum's the word!

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 6 October 2006]

Grace Hawkins makes quite an impact in the lives of Rev. Walter Goodfellow and his family. Grace, who has been engaged as the Goodfellow's housekeeper, is a no nonsense woman who deals firmly with whatever annoys her, or the family she in now working for. The only thing is that Grace has peculiar ideas in how to go about them.

When Grace arrives, she sees a family that is slowly pulling apart. First, there is a problem with Petey, the young son, who is being bullied in school, where he is not asserting himself. Leave it to Grace, she puts and end to that problem. When the dog next door keeps barking all night long, Grace goes into action to take care of the pooch. She realizes Holly, the promiscuous daughter has a lot of admirers. Indirectly, Grace helps both Holly, and her mother Gloria, who are being pursued by the same man. She even gives a new confidence to the vicar, who suddenly finds a funny way to reach his congregation and at the same time, he regains his marital bliss with Gloria.

Niall Johnson directed the film, based on a story by Richard Russo, one of our best writers. Mr. Johnson works well with the material and gets excellent acting from his cast. Maggie Smith is priceless as Grace. Her face expresses all what Grace is going through without becoming a caricature, or a Grand Guignol figure. The elegant Kristin Scott-Thomas plays Gloria, who receives an unexpected surprise from Grace. Rowan Atkinson is perfect as the vicar Goodfellow. Patrick Swayze appears as a golf pro with a leering eye. Liz Smith is the annoying Mrs. Parker.

"Keeping Mum" is a fun film to watch. Niall Johnson has done wonders with this winning film.

Sometimes Amusing

[andyetris · 6/10 · 20 October 2006]

I'm not sure that this film can really be classed a "black comedy." It's more like an episode of one of those saccharine family drama/comedies, "Seventh Heaven," maybe, with a little black comedy thrown in.

Rowan Atkinson is actually playing a dramatic part and the closest thing we get to laughs from him is stumbling over the word "God" at a vicars' convention. Patrick Swayze's character, on the other hand, is essentially a total caricature. Tamsin Egerton has nothing to do except flash her breasts, creating a weird hypocrisy in re: judgments on the sleazy peeper. Maggie Smith (it's AMAZING how she is able to reference her earlier incarnation as Rosie Jones) is perfect, and Kristin Scott Thomas demonstrates what she could do - if this film were consistently plotted as a comedy! The end of Mrs. Parker is essentially wasted, and the film just hasn't created the basis for the final scene - we needed a lot more on those landscapers!!!

The film just isn't funny enough, begging a desperately unequal comparison to Nanny McPhee. Anybody who thinks this mild farce references the Ealing comedies needs to go right out and rent "The Ladykillers" or "Kind Hearts and Coronets" to learn what consistency in comedy plotting REALLY means!

There are some funny moments here, but you'll get more out of watching a Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple!

Wonderful and unexpected enjoyment

[minsikau · 8/10 · 4 February 2006]

We went along not really knowing anything about this film or seeing anything. My daughters 16, 25 and wife tagged along.

surprise a simple and not overly taxing film to watch we all enjoyed the black comedy and did not expect the end. We did say to each other how can they end this film on a happy note. Will it just end in disaster? They carried it off perfectly and we left feeling that we had our moneys worth, and discussing the deeper meaning portrayed therein.

The treatment of death, happiness and how to get rid of our neighbor's dog!

Rowan ATkinson we surprisingly good and played his part as an almost straight vicar very well and we thought there was a good mixture of good bad and evil strewn about the film.

Not a taxing film to watch, make a good entertainment as so many try to involve you in a complex plot you have to be constantly remembering who was that.

A Houskeeper with an Over Kill on her Agenda

[parhat · 7/10 · 22 May 2006]

For this typical housekeeper. If something needs cleaning, than it's not the house.

The movie is original and not your typical Hollywood cookie cutter. If you like your typical Hollywood movie, this is not the movie for you. If you want something different, then this is the movie for you.

This movie depending how you categorized it can make a whole a lot difference in how you view a movie. I would rate this movie quite poor if I think it is British black comedy, but I would rate quite up there if I think this is a horror comedy. If you consider this to be a horror comedy, you will view the death as something to be expected. It had to be thought of that way because of the uniqueness of the story.

Basically the story is about a noisy dog, an oversexed daughter, a wife with having an affair, and a totally sanitized priest who has no passion, humor or what is going on with the family.

A housewife comes to solve the day, but not in a manner you will expect.

While the ending, I won't spoil you is not as surprising. It was an ending that you can understand in the British sensibilities of the word. Which means a British would do everything in their power, perhaps an overkill of course, to keep a boring life! I guess it is why the British appeared to be so boring, but I guess they want it that way to keep things, you know, at peace.

A summary of this movie is: Keep peace even if it means overkill?

Huge Disappointment

[cmoulton-3 · 1/10 · 22 October 2006]

This movie was surprisingly bad. I thought of leaving the theater two or three times, but I'd paid my money and thought it could only get better. It's difficult to understand why such superb talent would agree to appear in such a poor production. The story line is undeveloped, the characters are weak, and the dialog is silly. The "humour" is tired and cheap - far beneath the usually superior British standards for comedy entertainment. Kristen Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Rowan Atkinson, and Patrick Swayze all appear to be trying like crazy, but they have nothing to work with. It just hobbled on and on. There is nothing funny in this movie. The only ones who will be laughing are those taking your money to watch this trash.