Movie Review: Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding
Starring: Felicity Jones, Luke Treadway, Elizabeth McGovern, Mackenzie Crook, Fenella Woolgar, Zoe Tapper, Julian Wadham, Sophie Stanton, Olly Alexander, Ellie Kendrick, Paola Dionisotti, James Norton, Luke Ward-Wilkinson, Barbara Flynn, John Standing
Director: Donald Rice
Cheerful Weather Limited, Yellow Knife, United Kingdom, 2012.

 The movie is based on the novella by Julia Strachey written in 1932. Dolly Thatcham (Felicity Jones) and Owen Bigham (James Norton) are getting married in 1932. Dolly invites also her former boyfriend Joseph Patten (Luke Treadway) much to her family's surprise. Dolly's mother (Elizabeth McGovern from Downton Abbey) is fussy and controlling. She prefers Owen because he can offer Dolly a wealthier future.

Mother dressing Dolly

Summer was happy time for Dolly

Before the wedding the bride is drinking rum in he room. Her sister Kitty (Ellie Kendrick) is bored of unpoetical English men and prefers romantic foreign men. Dolly begins to think did she choose right and what would happen if Joseph would ask her to run off with him. 

Joseph thinking about lost love

Also Joseph starts to think about the circumstances that led to couple's separation. David remembers the happy summer they spent together, but time and tide wait for no man. There is also a metaphor of Dolly's future marriage as a fox caught in fox cuffs. There are also bad omens such as groom losing the wedding ring before wedding. Eventually David must leave behind the house of Thatcham where social facade must always be maintained and nothing can be said straight.

Married couple

Someone always has too much fun at weddings

This small British drama-film has an overall sad feeling. The movie's style is British stiff upper lip but there are also some lighter parts. Much of the humour comes from Kitty, the child actors and the funny relatives.

Rating: Good