Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Flyerplesys Perfectly adorable

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Konterr Brilliant and touching

feyipuk Rowan Atkinson is a vicar who's lost his motivation and become stuck in the rut of endless meetings. A charming, bumbling, wet blanket, which he plays in the same way he does many of his previous acting roles. Kristin Scott Thomas is his long suffering wife, who feels she's lacking any spice in her life. The parents are so focused on their own lives that they can't see what is happening with their children. Tamsin Egerton is the wayward daughter, who sleeps around, much to the irritation of her parents, who seem unable to reign her in. Toby Parkes plays the young son, finding it hard to fit in at school. And into their lives comes a mysterious Maggie Smith, who, while charming and motherly on the surface, hides a darker side that could have big implications on the family. This is a beautifully written and executed black comedy - reminiscent of the Ealing Studios comedies such as the Lady Killers - with the family at the centre of the story having plenty of aspects to empathise with. It's produced in part by the Isle of Man Film Commission, and if you know the island, then the landscape really jumps out; the sons school is Sulby, they have tea at Cregneash (over looking the Calf of Man), there's a shot with the Castle of Refuge at Douglas in the background, and even shots from inside the Gaiety Theatre, yet it could be based in any small village environment, with its quirky characters and small scale problems that shouldn't require such...final solutions.

Cedric_Catsuits Super cast, and a classic British comedy plot involving murderous little old ladies. Maggie Smith fits the bill perfectly as the not-so-innocent old dear, ably supported by the uniquely talented Atkinson and his usual repertoire of expressions, and an on-form K-S Thomas as the bored wife. Tamsin Egerton provides the glamour and Swayze the sleaze.Set in a picture-perfect village full of quaint characters, the film rarely goes off-track. However, there are locations that are clearly hundreds of miles apart in real life, but merely a short car ride in the story. The geographical inconsistencies apart, these jumps from one landscape to a very different one also detract from the realism of the plot.It's a simple, mostly inoffensive tale despite the blackness of the comedy, with crime being suggested rather than graphically illustrated - except for a couple of instances, which I feel would have been better left out. There is also more nudity and sex than would have occurred in the golden age of British comedy, such as with Ealing in the 40s and 50s.Not bad then, but could have been much better.

jusco15 It's hard to find a bad British comedy film; somehow their blood is flowing with the necessary ingenuity to generate laughter. It was my second time watching the black comedy film Keeping Mum, yet I enjoyed it both times. It starts off with the condemnation of a pretty, young lady who murdered and dismembered her husband and his partner, already venturing into the realm of morbid humour. Fast forward forty-plus years and we find ourselves in a small village called Little Wallop, a mere population of 57. We are introduced to a family that is on the brink of falling apart: rebellious teen daughter, bullied son, uptight and unsatisfied mother, unknowing and boring father (who also happens to be the town's vicar). And who else magically appears as their new granny but the lady (now old, but still just as jolly), fresh out of her confinement? Soon things begin looking brighter, and the entire family can't help but wonder if the new granny called Grace was God-sent.The strength of the film is carried by the strong performances. The reason why I bothered to watch this in the first place was because of Rowan Atkinson – he is, without a doubt, the funniest man alive and I have so much respect for him. He once again wonderfully executes his role as a blustering, dim-witted vicar; he is pure comic. Alongside him, Kirstin Scott Thomas is just as brilliant as his wife who desperately searches for satisfaction from another man (an American with the accent and hot bod). Yet, it is Maggie Smith, one of the English actress greats, who gives a cunning and refreshing portrayal of caring, lovable granny-slash-murderer. You know you're in for a treat when you have Rowan Atkinson's libido activated upon the reading of Song of Solomon or when Maggie Smith smiles wickedly with a butcher knife in hand.Is this the best British comedy around? Far from it, but those looking for a fun and lighthearted black comedy (yes, I'm aware of the contradiction there; but then again, our generation is capable of making light of serious situations, is it not?) might find this film a delightful romp.

Electrified_Voltage I went to see "Johnny English", a 2003 spy spoof starring Rowan Atkinson, in the theatre, and thought it was very funny (that wasn't quite the case when I last watched it on the small screen nearly four years later, but it certainly was in the theatre), and I remember for a while after that year, he didn't seem to have any upcoming film appearances in sight. However, that changed when "Keeping Mum" was announced. I remember first hearing about this film around the time it was confirmed, and the return of Atkinson was good news to me. This dark comedy was released in the U.K. in 2005, but since I'm North American, I had to wait for a while after that, and ended up finally seeing it in early 2007. With that first viewing, it was an 8/10 for me, and it seems a second viewing several years later hasn't changed that.Walter Goodfellow is a pastor in the small English village of Little Wallop. He has a wife named Gloria, a teenage daughter named Holly, and a younger son named Petey. Lately, Walter has been so busy with his work that he has been neglecting his family, while there is much trouble among the other three members of the household. Gloria is being kept awake by a neighbour's dog barking outside every night, and her husband's neglect is making her sexually frustrated, causing her to have an affair with her golf instructor, the sex-hungry Lance. To add to the family trouble, Holly is going through a rebellious phase and is letting her libido get the best of her, and Petey is constantly being bullied by a group of boys at school. The Goodfellows get a new housekeeper, an elderly woman who is supposedly named Grace Hawkins, and she intends to help the dysfunctional family. Things certainly begin to change with her around, but the Goodfellows don't know much about this woman and her way of solving problems! Walter may be an unusually subdued character for Rowan Atkinson to play, not like the bitter, nasty Blackadder or the goofy Mr. Bean, but the comedian still manages to pull it off, and provides some of the laughs the film has to offer, such as the part showing the character practicing his sermon, pretending God is criticizing it, and then being startled by Grace's presence. However, "Keeping Mum" certainly doesn't rely entirely on him for the laughs. Kristin Scott Thomas is very often funny as the irritable Gloria, starting when this character first appears in the film, as we see her annoyed by the barking dog and then discovering that Holly is making out in a van outside. The late Patrick Swayze's comical performance as the sleazy Lance character also works very well, as we see him on his cell phone thinking he's talking to Gloria when Grace is actually the one on the other end, among other scenes. Dame Maggie Smith as Grace Hawkins is not a performance to forget. I can't think of a single lacklustre performance in the film, and in addition to the laughs (some big, some small), there's also some good tension in this well-written story, plus some scenic filming locations in England and on the Isle of Man.In the five years since its original British release, this 2005 crime comedy seems to have entertained a lot of people, but has also received its share of criticism, and certainly doesn't have the reputation of being one of the British comedy masterpieces. It's quite a dark comedy, with a fair amount of killing in the story, and as much as this has impressed many viewers, it could also put a lot of people off. Of course, there are also bound to be others who are not necessarily put off by the darkness of it, but just don't find it funny. Still, "Keeping Mum" has now impressed me twice, making me laugh and also putting me in suspense at times, and it's strange how much of the movie I couldn't remember from my first viewing. This includes everything after a certain point later on in the film, even though these parts most certainly didn't seem forgettable when I saw them for the second time! Anyway, overall, while it's not an amazing piece of comedy, and I'm not sure if I completely get it even after seeing it twice, I would still say this is a good film for many of those who want a dark comedy thriller.