Film Reviews

Tamara Drewe

• Rating:
• Director: Stephen Frears.
• Starring: Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Dominic Cooper, Tamsin Greig.
• Details: UK / 111mins (15A).

Stephen Frears is a director that deserves more kudos than he receives. A chameleon, Frears can turn his hand to whatever genre he takes on and will always pull it off. Whether it's the period drama Dangerous Liaisons, TV's The Snapper, romantic comedy High Fidelity, comedy Mrs. Henderson Presents, gothic horror Mary Reilly or noir The Grifters, Frears delivers (okay, not so much Mary Reilly). However, recent outing Cheri suggested there's a chink in his armour of consistency and by the looks of Tamara Drewe that kink hasn't been ironed out. Adapted from Posy Simmonds' graphic novel, the story revolves around a myriad of characters that inhabit a sleepy hamlet in the English countryside. Crime writer Nicholas Hardiment (Allam) and his wife Beth (Greig) host a writer's retreat on the grounds of their luscious country house every year, but there's not only grumpy, unpublished writers (the two are usually connected) milling about. Journalist Tamara Drewe (Arterton) has returned (post nose job) from London to sell her large cottage and runs into old flame, Hardiment's buff gardener Andy (Luke Evans). Also knocking about is the wild Ben Sergeant (Cooper), a drummer for a rock band whom Tamara is scheduled to interview, and he in turn is stalked by teenage girls - Jessica Barden and Charlotte Christie - who would do anything to get into his pants. Tamara Drewe is a bubbly and lively jaunt through its story and Frears keeps the scenes brief to generate some pace. The characters are alive and full of verve as they duck and dive through their various sub-plots. Frears hopes that all this will contribute to a heady brew of lunacy but it winds up being a mess, falling down between umpteen stools. The tone is inconsistent, veering from seriousness (Hardiment's infidelity has devastating effects) to the quirky (the teenage girls' quest to land the man of their dreams, which is admittedly the highlight of the movie) but nothing ever sticks. Drewe herself isn't a main character but one of many who chip in; even if she was the main heroine she isn't really interesting or special enough to warrant a story, or a film, about her. When the climax shows up and Frears goes about tying up loose ends, chances are you won't care.

Review by Gavin Burke