writers_reign ... sums this up succinctly if not perfectly. It is, essentially, a minor play, by the 'master', Noel Coward, adapted successfully for the screen and acted to a fare-thee-well by a well-chosen cast. Coward of course shot to fame in 1924 and piled success upon success arguably peaking in the late thirties but still weighing in with a masterpiece in the shape of In Which We Serve, written and shot during the war. He wrote Relative Values in the early fifties some four years before Look Back In Anger ushered in the 'Angry Young Man cum Kitchen Sink' mob hi- jacked the theatre and while not top-drawer Coward it still possessed sufficient style to provide a good night out at the theatre. Whilst Coward is easy to imitate he's difficult to replicate and so it is here with the odd exchange 'can we talk man to man?', 'Any other arrangement would be difficult to imagine' reaching for (and just missing) vintage Coward and a group of actors who clearly have never played Coward previously making a decent fist of it. Highly enjoyable and recommended.

teamwak What can I say?I loved this movie. It is a classic comedy of manners. Written by bitch extrodinaire Noel Coward, the movie sparkles with wit and one-liners. Colin Firth plays the resident bitch (very much a Noel Coward type characture). Julie Andrews is in fine form as the matriarch fearing her son is going to marry beneath the family by marrying Hollywood starlet Jeeane Tripplehorn, who looks gorgeous in this film.Mad servants and stuck-up butlers abound, this movie is a real find.And final praise must go to the person who steals this movie from under the very esteemed company, and that is Sophie Thompson as ladies maid Moxie. The dinner scenes where she is getting drunker, and drunker is the funniest parts of a very funny movie. To be recommended.

Gary Wang For anyone who enjoys British class distinctions and the upstairs-downstairs culture of life among the manor born, this stylish tale of a Hollywood actress who is preparing to marry into a quirky aristocratic family is sumptuously designed and a great deal of fun. Julie Andrews shines, as does Jeanne Triplehorn and Stephen Fry as the butler who is impeccably correct amid the chaos which ensues when things inevitably begin to go awry. It is a farce that absolutely works. The 1950s era is captured with elegant attention to detail and the characters, for all their foibles, are likable and thoroughly engaging. Great entertainment for anyone who is lucky enough to happen upon it!

ukst I enjoyed this film very much. Lovely cast (the British actors are marvellous, the Americans less so), great costumes (charming 50s flair), good plot. Reminded me a bit of Oscar Wilde... I just loved Colin Firth as Peter Ingleton - he plays the obnoxious nephew in residence just so well. I love his performance - he's funny, charming and delightful. Light and fluffy - quite an entertaining little comedy for a Sunday afternoon. Be warned: It's very British!