grantss Mr Hoppy is a lonely, aging bachelor. He is infatuated with Mrs Silver, his widowed downstairs neighbour, but is too shy to reveal his feelings to her. However, when she gets a tortoise as a pet, he hatches a cunning plan to gain her favour.Sweet but dull. Despite the ages of the main characters, a movie that feels like it is aimed at kids more than anyone else. Overly schmaltzy, with a fairly predictable plot and some hijinks aimed squarely at kids.Not all bad - Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench are good in the lead roles and the chemistry between the two of the them is spot-on. Some funny moments too.

Prismark10 Dustin Hoffman plays the silver haired shy American ex-pat Mr Hoppy who lives in an apartment building tending to his garden on his balcony.Judi Dench is the flame haired Mrs Silver, the new neighbour who has moved into the apartment building. She may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier and she has a pet tortoise who is growing just too slowly for her liking.Mr Hoppy is lovestruck at first sight but he needs to pluck up the courage just to exchange a few words with the more outgoing Mrs Silver.Mr Hoppy hatches an elaborate plan to fool Mrs Silver that her tortoise is growing fast which does not seem too romantic at first.Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer adapted the book from Roald Dahl which is more whimsical and romantic than being a dark fairy tale for children which Dahl is better known for.The film has narration from James Corden who frames the story of the two elderly romantics bouncing sparks off each other. The minor characters are painted broadly.Hoffman gives a very subtle performance as Mr Hoppy, far from those intense characters he played when he was younger, full of various ticks, mannerisms and vocal abilities. He is simply just more relaxed. A softer version of the Method.It is left to Dench to be more vivid, footloose and flirtatious with various costumes that she wears as she bumps into Mr Hoppy in the lift. Mrs Silver has passions of her own that she wants to unleash.However the film does feel a little stage bound, the apartment setting looks too studio bound. The makers try to overcome this with Corden walking down the street or being on the bus but it just felt a little insular although enjoyable enough.

philip-arnold-837-622893 This absolute wonderful story of love between two 'older' people will have you spellbound from start to finish. Dustin Hoffman nails perfectly the shy, retiring Mr Hoppy who until his neighbour moves in has only one love his Babylonian balcony garden. Whilst Mrs Silver played by Judi Dench, becomes the new object of his affections the day she moves in to the flat below his, is ideally cast. Mr. Hoppy although he is to shy to tell her how he feels gets the chance to make her dreams come true when he learns she wishes her pet tortoise Alfie, would grow from his very small 13 ounces. To do this he comes up with an ingenious and very daring but funny plan. However their is a complication in the form the very boorish Mr. Pringle who lives in the flat next to Mr. Hoppy he also has his eye on Mrs Silver.If you enjoyed your romances gentle but bitter-sweet with a happy end you will love this. The entire story of their budding romance is humorously narrated by James Corden the man with the first floor flat.

paul-201-136732 One of the most disappointing experiences of the festive season. The writers have forgotten what it's like to read a Roald Dahl story to children - the comfortable, innocent experience that is an oasis of childhood.This movie, a pimped-up atrocity with formulaic love triangle had nothing to do with the cleverness, innocence, and brilliantly-judged length of Roald Dahl's original story. He knew there is only so much you can do with a great idea - push it too far and it becomes ordinary (at best).Quips that the writers obviously thought were clever, including both literal and backwards 'choice language', just took the experience further and further away from Dahl's genius for innocence. Additions such as a love rival, alienating narration scenes trying to lean on a father's relationship with their daughter to somehow infuse the film with warmth; even a neighbour's child asking "Are you going to offer me sweets and kidnap me?"... All have a hand in bursting the perfect bubble that Dahl originally created.Edit - sorry, forgot to mention that the three stars are for Dustin Hoffman. A class act, even in this.