Journalist Tamara Drewe (Gemma Arteron) returns to the Dorset village she grew up in, a popular writers retreat. With a plan to sell her childhood home, matters become complicated when her childhood sweetheart, a rock drummer and an adulterous husband vie for her affections.
Based on the comic strip by Posey Simmonds, the film adaptation has been described as a saucier version of the Archers but having never listened to the BBC Radio series, I went in with an open mind and emerged thinking I have not been missing out on much.
It’s a very middle class affair, which I guess is supposed to be the point. American audiences may lap up the whimsical affair with polite Brits swearing up a storm. However for a home grown audience it has nothing to say and the laughs are not as easily forthcoming.
The biggest problem with the film is tone. The scattershot nature of the narrative (a problem of adapting the comic strip) makes it a confusing viewing experience. Skipping between farce and tragedy, sometimes in the same scene is a delicate balancing and ultimately leaves the film failing to fire on both a humorous and dramatic level.
Gemma Arterton has been a busy lady, seemingly popping up a new movie every month and although she is given a leading role here, she is capable of so much more than being a man eater in tight shorts (although they are nice shorts!). Plus she has to work hard to make Tamara likeable, with the eponymous character aloof to the heartbreak she causes.
Tamsin Greig is an ocean of repression as the housewife who has built a whole country retreat and her husband’s book empire but is still ignored by the serial philanderer. From the rest of a recognisable cast it is in fact Charlotte Christie and Jessica Barden who get the chance to shine as a pair of precocious schoolgirls who act as a Greek chorus, commenting on the action and often shaping the flimsy narrative.
The film may find a more natural home on television, where its lack of scope and cinematic edge is less of a problem. So save your money until it comes out on DVD.
