Keeping Mum
Time Out says
A would-be black comedy in a rural British setting, this sees vicar Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson, of course) employing a housekeeper, Grace (Maggie Smith), who just happens to be a released murderer. Equally unimaginative casting comes in the form of Kristin Scott Thomas as a foul-mouthed, frustrated wife and Patrick Swayze as a pervy American golf pro who gets the village ladies in a spin. Grace sets about solving the Rev Goodfellow’s family problems in her own unique style while the family engage in farcical sitcom banter (sometimes funny, sometimes not). It’s like dumping a serial killer into a very, very long episode of ‘The Vicar of Dibley’ and expecting it to work: there’s no artful black comedy here, just an uncomfortable clash between broad provincial humour and a murder plotline. The central cast are up to the job: Smith deadpans delightfully when she can, and Atkinson upgrades his bumbling ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ performance to mildly amusing effect. But despite its genial characters, ‘Keeping Mum’ is an undisciplined, ultimately unsuccessful experiment in British black comedy.
Details
Release details
Rated:
15
Release date:
Friday December 2 2005
Duration:
103 mins
Cast and crew
Director:
Niall Johnson
Cast:
Rowan Atkinson
Kristin Scott Thomas
Maggie Smith
Patrick Swayze
Emilia Fox
Liz Smith
Tamsin Egerton
James Booth
Toby Parkes
Jack Ryan
Kristin Scott Thomas
Maggie Smith
Patrick Swayze
Emilia Fox
Liz Smith
Tamsin Egerton
James Booth
Toby Parkes
Jack Ryan