Wicked Little Letters

This British comedy is, rather like the content of the letters on which the plot is based, somewhat crude and unsubtle. The characters are largely stereotypes - the prim, god-fearing Edith, the foul-mouthed slatternly Irishwoman Rose, the misogynistic buffoons (pretty much all the male characters). Timothy Spall plays a nasty bully, and this, along with the early friendship between Edith and Rose, which breaks down, mainly due to his influence, suggests there is a potential for a stronger story here - if the film had been brave enough to escape the rather one-joke plotline approach. The use of black and Asian actors to portray characters in roles where this would not have been historically accurate has now become almost obligatory, but is still a bit of an irritating anachronism. Overall, the film does have its moments, but does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity.

Very good, this!

'Wicked Little Letters' is fun. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley impress in lead roles, both managing to stand out just as much as the other - Colman is particularly perfectly cast. The rest of them merit praise as well, namely Anjana Vasan and Timothy Spall.

There isn't much more to note about this really and I don't mean that in a negative way whatsoever. It's all competently put together, as those onscreen bring this rather simple film to life - and I like those type of movies. Well worth a watch! Happy that I managed to catch it at the cinema on the big screen, always nice.

Okay, so it sounds as though Thea Sharrock's "Wicked Little Letters" took a lot of creative liberties, but you gotta love the overall story, with a town in 1920 England suddenly filled with obscene letters and blaming an abrasive Irish immigrant.

The movie at once both addresses distrust of the "other" (especially considering how the English viewed the Irish) and people's tendency to dumb down their language to sound "appropriate". One scene in particular seems to say "well that felt good". I wouldn't call it a masterpiece - especially when you read about the inaccuracies - but it's got some funny stuff. I suspect that deep down, a lot of Christians wish that they could spout all the profanities they want.

In addition to stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, it also has Anjana Vasan (from last year's season finale of "Black Mirror"), Timothy Spall (Wormtail in the Harry Potter movies) and Alisha Weir (the title character in the recent "Abigail").

I don't know why people gave this movie bad reviews. Yes it's probably not historically correct, it's based on true events but anything for the most part that's re-created from true events or dramatized. Even If this was pure fiction, it would Stand alone as a fantastic movie! I absolutely love Jesse Buckley and I think the script was hilarious. It was a tough time in the 20s for women and that they definitely got accurate in the story. The characters are all really complex in their own way, and the acting was superb. Currently playing on Netflix but if you miss it there, it's a pretty cheap rental, but worth every minute!

I wasn't sure what to make of this movie, it's good in parts, it has two very good central performances from Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley but suffers from a really uneven tone.

The tone problems all stem from the direction of the piece. Its great to see such a diverse cast, but that diversity of casting does a historical injustice to Karpal Kaur Sandhu who was the first serving Asian woman in the police, her story is truly heroic and tragic, and ignoring any racial tension in 1920's Britain is also anachronistic and fantastical. Those moments give the work an uneven tone, and the longer the movie goes on the more the direction lurches from a fun tone it something closer to what the movie can be.

The outstanding moments in this film come from Jessie Buckley, who like Maggie Smith in her younger years bursts onto the screen with energy and charisma. Olivia Coleman is always full of nuance and depth - those two central performances carry the movie. Anjana Vasan is charming and full of comic energy she is required to carry a part which has some very odd writing and character development. She does it like a star.

A very odd movie in some ways but worth you time if you can get over the anachronisms and the uneven tone.