Tamara Drewe (2010)

Nice effects though.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

In this day and age of blistering, multi-million dollar Hollywood blockbusters, full of unrealistic emotions, and over the top special effects, and loathsome characters, the small British comedy is definitely on the decline. So, presumably, "Tamara Drewe", a sleepy black little comedy of love and betrayal, should fill a very nice little gap indeed. Sadly, however, someone slipped up along the way, and, whilst it has not too much wrong with it, it's ultimately something of a wasted opportunity, which misses the mark on many occasions.The action all centers upon a small rural community of tired people, in particular, a writer's retreat where an unlikely gang of rather jaded characters assemble. In comes ex-ugly duckling Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arterton), and things start to hot up soon enough for all concerned.Stephen Frears, a director of some considerable pedigree, described the film as being like a "tragedy, and a comedy". That is true to an extent, because there's nothing incredibly funny, and yet, nothing extremely tragic happening. The comedy is tragic, and the tragedy is comedic. The whole mix has rather been upset by its' having an essentially unlikeable cast of characters, despite there being some decent actors and actresses assembled. It's one of those slightly po-faced dramas which wallows in its' own mundanity, wondering just how dull and "realistic" the whole thing can be. The flip side of this is, for genre fans, it stops the whole thing feeling "cliched". The reality, though, is a rather bathetic, self-indulgent study of some rather weak people.Gemma Arterton is an exceptional actress, perhaps the best "big name" British actress in the world right now, but I'm not sure why she has been cast here. Bereft of her usual quiet charm and wittiness, Tamara Drewe is a very unlikeable personality, who makes a habit of mucking things up for everyone around her. The sad thing is, she behaves like such an idiot, that she doesn't deserve to have a film devoted to her, and she isn't anywhere near decent enough to deserve any measure of happiness, which she gets in an ending, which seems to be the film's only concession to the mainstream.Dominic Cooper, as Ben Sargeant, a typical bad rocker, is enough to ruin the entire film, with a portrayal of the cliché that is so broad and unlikeable, that it's one of those choices which makes you realise just what a total idiot she is. In fact, there seems to be nothing whatsoever appealing about Ben as a character. To be honest, though, if it was anyone else but Gemma Arterton in the role of TD, you could say the same thing about her.The only vaguely likable characters, Bill Camp and British standby Tamsin Grieg, are awash in a sea of scumbags, and are routinely abused until the absurdly realised ending, which, if you stop to think about it, is a cop-out of the first order. Without this convenient herd of deus ex machina, the whole film would have been a very tawdry affair indeed.In the end, though, it's not a horrendous film, just one in which you struggle to find anything to like in it. Four out of ten, for some lovely rural Northern English countryside, for Gemma Arterton's ass, and for Tamsin Grieg and Bill Camp. Nothing you couldn't enjoy individually in much better surroundings. Read the graphic novel, as well. It's at least one and a half times as good as this.(And by the way, the title of this review is an anagram of the titular heroine. The whole way through the movie, I was convinced that "Tamara Drewe" was an anagram of something significant. THis was the best I could get, but at least I was able to use those 106 minutes of my life fruitfully...)

I decided to watch this film because I am a fat middle-aged dude who has the hots for Gemma Arterton and also because I had nothing better to do. I never read the book (I did not even know a book existed). I was pleasantly surprised by the film. After thinking it took a while for the picture to get off the ground I found myself quite interested. Gemma Arterton's character is actually the least interesting - she is a boring slut - but the others more than make up for it. Tamsen Greig and Jessica Berden's characters were really great and helped the narrative never to lose its swing. The plot was quite interesting and kept my attention even at 2 am.Not the greatest film in history but quite worth it if you do not have much else to do.

If you liked the Tamara Drewe serialisation in the Guardian or bought the graphic novel or are just a fan of Posy Simmonds, prepare to be disappointed.In the first place, the film is the original work forced into the straitjacket of "comedy". This means the original ending has been totally re-written, since teenage girls dying of solvent abuse isn't something that could be played for laughs, not to mention the possibility of messing up the certification. It also means some characters are made into clownish caricatures, principally supposed indie drummer Ben Sergeant whom Dominic Cooper plays as some ridiculous greaseball rock-n-roller so that we might believe the writers' last experience of popular music was going to see David Essex in That'll Be The Day in 1973. Barden and Christie also overplay the teenage awkwardness of Jody and Casey to the extent that Charlotte Christie at times seems to lumber about like Frankenstein's Igor, which leads to the second problem: mis-casting.Gemma Arterton is pretty. Luke Evans is good, Bill Camp is good, the others are all wrong. See above for Dominic Cooper. Tamsin Greig is too hot to be frumpy fifty-something Beth but Roger Allam not hot enough to be her philandering husband: he has a face that says "Harrumph" and its hard to believe a queue of younger women are waiting to bed him. Bronagh Gallagher is added as another clown whose Ian Paisley voice doesn't work among the up themselves novelists.The film is a bimbo. It's not so bad if you want a few giggles with darling scenery, screwball characters and a pretty actress who looks nice with not much on, but if you actually want an adaptation, stay away.

The movie,Tamara Drewe was adapted from the graphic novel of the same name by Posy Simmonds, which was in turn inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel Far From the Madding Crowd.It stars Gemma Arterton on the title role as Tamara Drewe, together with Roger Allam,Bill Camp,Dominic Cooper,Luke Evans,Tamsin Greig and Jessica Barden.Stephen Frears directed this comedy drama about an ugly duckling who's followed by a handful of suitors after maturing into a sexy swan.Tamara Drewe was born and raised in Ewedown, a quiet community on the outskirts of London dominated by a writer's colony run by Nicholas Hardiment, a best-selling novelist who specializes in crime fiction, and his wife Beth. When Tamara left Ewedown, she was a plain and awkward teenager, but when she returns home for the first time in years, the locals are surprised to discover that time (and a nose job) have turned her into an attractive and alluring woman, and she's gained a share of money and fame thanks to a successful newspaper column. Tamara has returned to Ewedown after the death of her mother in order to refurbish the family home and put it on the market. Before long, Tamara finds herself pursued by three men from her past -- Andy Cobb, her former boyfriend who has been hired to help fix up the house; Ben Sergeant ), the swaggering drummer with a local indie rock band flirting with larger success; and Nicholas, who is chronically unfaithful to his wife and sees an opportunity with the neighborhood girl who was infatuated with him in her teens.This modern day ugly duckling tale wasn't absorbing nor compelling.The narrative adopts an increasingly episodic feel that one's interest begins to wane as the film progresses.It only serves as a reliable dispenser of visual and erotic pleasures.Also,Gemma Arterton wasn't interesting enough in her portrayal that the viewer would not care about Tamara Drewe at all.