Keeping Mum (2005)

Very disappointed :(

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The family of the retiring and oblivious Reverend Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson) is falling apart: his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) is lonely and looking for solace with the golf instructor (Patrick Swayze), his daughter is running wild, and his son is being bullied at school. When the new housekeeper, Grace (Maggie Smith), arrives, things begin to look up for the Goodfellows as problems seem to miraculously disappear. What they don't realize is that 43 years ago, Grace was responsible for clearing up a problem of her own in a most interesting way.In this disturbingly entertaining black comedy, the veteran cast display their excellent acting skills. Atkinson is particularly great, and it's hard to find a better actress than Dame Maggie Smith. The story line was engaging from the beginning and flowed with good timing. The humor is not going to be for everyone, but I often found it laugh-out-loud funny. Overall, while I can't give it a universal recommendation, it was an enjoyable film for those who appreciate the twisted British wit.

i went into this movie not knowing what to expect, but i like Maggie Smith and Kirsten Scott Thomas, and i am aware that Rowan Atkinson is one of England's top comedic actors. i am also a huge fan of British black comedies, no one does it better.first off i like to say that Rowan Atkinson did a fine job playing the straight man instead of his usual, Kirsten Scott Thomas was her usual self, solid and dependable if not great actress...but the revelation in this movie is Maggie Smith. i can't think of another actress who could've pull this off. the role was made for her. Patrick Swayze in one of his final if not final role was a delight, this is the first time i believe where he isn't in his typical good guy roles.Rowan Atkinson is the head of his family, his wife Kirsten, and his two kids and he is also the vicar of his parish. underneath the surface there is a lot going on. He seems lost and his wife is lonely and having an affair, his teenage daughter is too promiscuous and his middle school son is being bullied in school. Around this time they decide to get a housekeeper and she arrives, but before she arrives a mysterious trunk belonging to her arrives first. this is the same trunk that is shown at the start of the movie belonging to the pretty young blonde who is by herself on the train...that's all i'm going to say about the movie itself, i encourage and recommend that if you read this review to watch the movie, you'll have a bloody good time. the first 2/3 of the movie was watchable and interesting, i always wanted to know what was coming next. but...it was just a little bit on the slow side and that is just my personal opinion, but it was still very watchable...and then BOOM!, just like that the last 1/3 of the movie happened. let me tell you i've never seen something that wicked or deliciously and darkly funny before. that is what movie magic is all about. everything explained itself at the end. if you are like me and felt the first 2/3 is a little slow, do not sweat it, cause the last third is awesome.i would personally give this movie a 7.5, very enjoyable movie. the Brits need to turn out more movies like this.

Niall Johnson directs "Keeping Mum". The film's a black comedy in the vein of "The Trouble With Harry", "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "The Ladykillers", Johnson trying to resurrect a very specific type of British comedy typically associated with Ealing Studios. Situated in West London, the Studios have been in use since 1902, but are best remembered for a spate of uncompromising, relentless, tightly constructed black comedies released in the early 1950s. Johnson's film is not in the same league."Keeping Mum" stars Rowan Atkinson and Kristin Thomas as a married couple living in small town Britain. Thomas' mother, a seemingly wonderful elderly woman called Grace Hawkins (Maggie Smith), stops by for a visit. Problem is, Grace is a mass murderer who just can't stop killing. In an effort to solve her family's various marital, personal and domestic issues, Grace thus sweeps in like a demented Marry Poppins and proceeds to murder, maim and, in her own peculiarly homicidal way, mend her family. The film ends with religious faith and more banal everyday beliefs being conflated, psychotic, solipsistic fantasies holding the family's world together. See David Lynch.The humour in the film is derived from a very specific clash, the film rural, pleasant, laid-back and polite on one hand, and positively macabre on the other. Perhaps the best example of this is Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry", a film which, despite being over half a century old, Johnson still can't quite better; "Keeping Mum" isn't as sharp, witty or perceptive as its predecessors. Still, Maggie Smith and Rowan Atkinson are always worth watching. Over the years they've become national treasures, more endearing cultural assets than actors.7.9/10 - Worth one viewing.

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.