CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Majorthebys Charming and brutal

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

sueirene1119 It's not often I find myself totally engaged in a movie and actually enjoying the free flow of tears at the climax. That kind of movie where you relax into your own skin and feel the protagonist's pain, frustration, desire and blends of various emotions as though those feelings were your own. Very Annie Mary was able to do all of the above and I believe I slept with the story continuing on in my dreams, a strong sign that the characters have become part of my own flow of blood and immersed in the cilia of my lungs. I have to admit, I often love a dorky character, someone who is not quite comfortable in their own skin. It resonates with my inner dorky child, that little soul who was chosen last for sports teams and sought refuge in the sick-bay during kick-ball sessions. I also love a wounded soul who shows strength despite adversity and Annie Mary retains her unique character which even a narcissistic Pavarotti-impersonating father and his snobby girlfriend fail to smother. The relationship between Annie Mary and her terminally ill friend Bethany (the daughter of the fish and chip shop owners) is real and engaging. Bethan has the time and space to observe the community objectively and encourages Annie Mary to unveil her long hidden talent of singing and to pursue her dreams. The small community and its members are heart-warming and also true, showing how easily people can turn on those they think have done wrong or who haven't met their stringent expectations and how difficult it is to break free of the role you were placed in due to circumstances. Rachel Griffiths plays Annie-Mary to perfection and Jonathon Pryce is terrific as her father. Highly recommended by me, sit back on your couch with some good wine and nibbles and embrace your inner nerd. Love it!

daphne4242 I think some of the negative reviews come from people who expected this to be another sunshine funny film romance. It is funny but not light-hearted. It's actually quite dark. There's crippling illness and death and no boyfriend at the end of it. But mixed in with that are some very funny scenes, some excellent cameo performances and some super music. I'm from South Wales and everyone from there that I know loves this film and finds it very resonant. Jonatahn Pryce's Welsh accent seemed fine, just what you hear every day in the shop. I think this film might get a better reception in Britain now that Gavin and Stacey has softened up the rest of the country for both the Welsh accent and people.

fedor8 One of those quirky British movies; fortunately, this one has a couple of great laughs: when Griffiths makes her first attempts at baking and distributing bread, and when she pumps her suit with gas and floats in the air. Other amusing moments are when she re-paints the house to the utter (helpless) dismay of her crippled, stroke-stricken father, Pryce, and when she offers money to a stuffy, nerdy Baptist to have sex with her. The first half is solid, and then things pick up when Pryce is put out of commission by a stroke; things get funny from then on, although there is also some sentimentality towards the end (not at all badly done, considering it's schmaltz).Griffiths is terrific as the semi-retarded woman; they tried to make her as less attractive as they could, e.g. with that ridiculous hair, but her good looks nevertheless manage to come through often enough.

neithernor2000 You would think a movie featuring an inflatable Pavarotti impersonator, a seventy-year old woman in a Tina Turner costume belting out "What's Love Got To Do With It" and a scratch and sniff bible goes over the top with loud humor. That is not the case with VERY ANNIE MARY. It is a small film, quirky, tender, and funny in a mostly quiet way. Rachel Griffiths is excellent as a homely girl with a tyrant of a father who dresses her in her grandmother's clothes. The Scottish town they live in is determined to raise enough money to send a terminally ill teenager to Disneyland. I won't tell you anything more about it other than to rent the DVD or look for it on the Independent Film channel. You'll be very glad you did.