This Movie is Rated R – For Language and Sexual Content
The entire movie takes place throughout the course of one day, in Hampstead Heath (a large park in London). As the day progresses we are given a peek into the lives of seven couples.
Jamie (Andrew Lincoln) and Molly (Holly Aird) are a married couple. They are just having a relaxing day in the park. After a bit of banter between them about what Molly just read in her magazine, she decides to relax and close her eyes for a bit. At that point Jamie notices a very pretty woman, in a very short dress, lying on a blanket not far from them. Unfortunately, his wife notices what he is up to and calls him on it. At which point things start getting very uncomfortable for Jamie.
Jamie – “She … she should be … she should be careful.”
Molly – “What? In case some pervy man were to stare at her pants?” (Note: this is a British film, therefore, pants refers to her underwear.)
Iris (Eileen Atkins) is sitting on a bench in the park, the one she has been sitting on every Wednesday morning for roughly the past fifty years. It’s always been her place to go and think. Today, however, she ends up with company, a man named Eddie (Benjamin Whitrow). They make small talk about the city and how they both visit the park on a specific day of the week. It turns out Eddie is usually there on Thursday, however, he got his days mixed up. Eventually, their discussions turn more personal and they discover something from their past that they have in common.
Iris – “All the best things in life are utterly indecipherable.”
Iris – “You see, once you commit yourself to something, however bizarre it may seem to other people. You kind of owe it to yourself to enjoy the experience.”
Anna (Sophie Okonedo) and Ludo (Nicholas Sidi) are arguing; we aren’t sure what’s happening but it’s pretty obvious things aren’t going well. After a few moments Ludo walks away and leaves behind a distraught Anna. This is when Noel (Tom Hardy) shows up. He saw what happened and is concerned about her. He then tries to comfort her, which gets him mixed results. At times she is receptive to him, then she will suddenly lash out at something he says. Noel has clearly gotten himself in over his head.
Noel – “I mean, look, if you are a nutter, enough said. But you don’t strike me as your bona fide mental.”
Noel – “Seriously, yeah, you’re f*cking with my chi.”
We see Billy (Ewan McGregor) and Brian (Douglas Hodge) in the “Men’s only” area by the lake. Brian is reading while Billy is checking out all the other guys. They have been living together for 15 years, but they have an open relationship (at least Billy partakes of it). You get the impression that Billy is the only one Brian is interested in. As they are enjoying their day at the park, talk turns to the subject of kids and whether they would like to raise some together. Which is definitely a complicated subject.
Brian – “He’s not your type.”
Billy – “How would you know? You’re my partner, it’s not the same thing at all.”
Billy – “There’s nothing I need to learn about myself that he couldn’t teach me.”
Peter (Adrian Lester) is walking alone in the park. He really needs to pee and decides he can’t wait any longer. He tries to go in the bushes a couple of different times, however, oddly enough, he discovers men hanging out there. Which leads to a bit of awkwardness. Eventually, he meets up with a woman, Sara (Catherine Tate). They seem happy to see each other and greet each other with a very friendly kiss. We get the impression that they are a perfectly happy couple, but looks can be deceiving.
Peter – “That’s ’cause I need a piss.”
Other Man – “Well, go somewhere else. Some of us have sex here.”
Louis (Mark Strong) is anxiously waiting in the garden/patio area of the park. When Esther (Polly Walker) arrives, he is happy, although he does complain about her being late. They spend their time together strolling around the garden area talking about various subjects. Including what it is they like and love about each other. According to Louis “it’s much easier to love someone than to like them”.
Gerry (Hugh Bonneville) and Julia (Gina McKee) are on their first date, a picnic in the park. Gerry goes all out with a basket full of food and some good wine. It turns out that this is a blind date arranged by a mutual friend of theirs. There are certainly ups and downs between them as they try to get to know each other. Especially since Gerry seems to have a knack for saying all the wrong things.
Gerry – “No, I just put on weight walking past a boulangerie.”
It’s fun to learn about each of the couples and some of the stories even have a bit of a twist at the end. There is a lot of humor, as well as, a bit of sadness. The stories are well told and they were able to assemble an amazing group of actors to be a part of it. I am a fan of Ewan McGregor, which is why I bought this DVD. He was great and his part was absolutely perfect for him. Even though I got it because of Ewan, I enjoyed all the other story lines as well.
If you are interested in how small indie films are made; there is a great feature that you should check out. The filmmakers go into a lot of detail regarding what they went through to get this movie made.
Jan
P.S. Comments are welcomed. Scroll towards the bottom of the page to where it says “Click Here to Make a Comment”. Or on entries from previous days there is a comment box.
