treeline1 Two elderly men are widowed on the same night in the same hospital. Pompous lecher Reggie (Albert Finney) and meek milkman Southgate (Tom Courtenay) would seem to have little in common, yet they become roommates at the suggestion of a social worker who thinks the situation will ease their grief. Reggie, however, starts bossing Southgate around and treating him like a servant while beginning a dodgy romance with a younger woman.This well-intentioned "odd couple"-type drama almost hits a home run with top-notch acting from the two stars, but the script glosses over or eliminates much needed information and action. While Southgate doesn't seem to mind being treated like hired help, we never understand why he stays in the relationship, as their friendship is assumed rather than developed in the story. Courtenay is by far the more sympathetic of the two, giving a poignant performance as a truly grieving man who has a family secret. Finney's blustery old windbag is quite rude and unlikable, but he does a good job playing him.I think this could have been better with another half hour to develop the relationship between the two men; as it is we're left to fill in much of the story ourselves. Still, this simple movie is quite watchable thanks to the talent and charisma of Finney and Courtenay.

DC1977 A modern television classic set in the Eighties, A Rather English Marriage tells the story of two recently widowed men; a brash World War Two squadron leader (Albert Finney) and a retired milkman (Tom Courtenay) who form an unlikely alliance as they come to terms with their bereavements.The two men miss their wives for totally different reasons, Roy Southgate (Courtenay) is a loyal, devoted husband who spends hours with his wife when visiting her at hospital. Reggie Conyngham-Jervis (Finney) is a philanderer who relies on his wife mainly for her cooking and cleaning skills and sees his hospital visits as time that could be better spent in the pub.When a social worker sees that each man could be the solution to the other's problems, these two characters (complete opposites plagued by personal problems they try to keep hidden) who were hospital waiting room acquaintances are now brought together full time.This is the sort of charming, well-written television drama that nobody seems to want to make anymore, the two leads forming an even more effective partnership than they did in The Dresser fifteen years earlier where Finney stole the show.Courtenay is superbly understated, Finney is more powerful and boisterous and probably the more versatile actor. Their contrasting styles complement each other perfectly.Although this is mainly a double-act, Joanna Lumley also excels as the gold-digger who has her eye on Reggie's wallet.However this drama belongs equally to Finney and Courtenay. The final scene with these two grand old men of film and theatre dancing to Glenn Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade' will surely prove to be one of the most lasting and endearing moments in British television.

lorenellroy The pairing of Courtenay and Finney,whose contrasting styles combine so well together,were brilliant in The Dresser,which makes their pairing in this drama so very welcome.They play contrasting men widowed on the same day and paired together by social services.Finney is a womanising ex=Battle of Britain pilot whose wife came from wealthy stock while Courteney is a former milkman.Courteney possesses all the requisite domestic skills while Finney would struggle to boil water without a recipe book. Against all odds and not helped by Finney's habit of assuming command they rub along well together until the arrival of Joanna Lumley a gold-digger who sets her sights on FinneyBeautifully written and impeccably played character study.It illustrates that dumbing down ,while having achieved epidemic proportions on UK television,has not yet conquered all bastions of the box.

Tom May A really wonderful drama. A good plot, elevated hugely by two perfect performances from Tom Courtenay and Albert Finney. They are truly superb as Southgate (working-class) and Reggie ("The Squadron Leader"-staunchly upper-class), two widowers who strike an unlikely friendship to come to terms with life again. Finney and Courtenay truly show exactly what brilliant acting is, and this is comfortably the best original single drama in 1998.