The Bookshop (2017)

[Katie-Ellen]

Title: The Bookshop

Tagline: A town that lacks a bookshop isn't always a town that wants one

Genre: Romance, Drama

Director: Isabel Coixet

Cast: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Hunter Tremayne, Honor Kneafsey, James Lance, Frances Barber, Reg Wilson, Michael FitzGerald, Nigel O'Neill, Jorge Suquet, Lana O'Kell, Adie Allen, Mary O'Driscoll, Charlotte Vega, Karen Ardiff, Barry Barnes, Richard Felix, Francesca McGill, Lucy Tillett

Release: 2017-11-10

Runtime: 110

Plot: Set in an small English town in 1959, the story of a woman who decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop, a decision which becomes a political minefield.



This is such a quiet film, very true to the novel, and it manages to be frightening in exactly the way the novel managed to frighten me. The ever so polite Mrs Gamart runs a fiefdom. She has the know-how to get her own way, and get her own way, she shall. Mrs Green, honest, straightforward, has not yet come up against the likes of Mrs Gamart. Mrs Green can't see HOW she is to be turfed out of her own home and her own business. But Mr Brundish can.

 

[Emurelda]

This reminds of Chocolat, but for books.

 

[Leonora]

Watched this tonight, KT-LN. When I saw Bill Nighy I feared it was going to be another Love Actually or something, but in fact it was not at all. None of my expectations were fulfilled. It was a bit like Chocolat, only weirder. It was a bit like Hot Fuzz played seriously.
I think I liked it. There was some very weird acting by the supporting cast. I rather hope they were locals drafted in!
Thanks for drawing it to my attention. We watched Bird Box last night, which was 2 hours of my life I won't get back.

 

[Webbwalker]

I rather hope they were locals drafted in
Apparently they were - they paid to be in it, I believe. I haven't seen it yet, I was put off by the incredibly negative reviews it's been getting from a group I follow on Facebook. I was afraid it was going to be more like the Guernsey potato peel pie (etc), which was equally off-putting, but Hot Fuzz played seriously -? That's got to be worth a couple of hours of anyone's time.

 

[Leonora]

I have to say my husband thought it was worse than Bird Box. I haven't seen Guernsey Potato Pie, and it may well be similar. But it certainly isn't sentimental or twee.

 

[Webbwalker]

I haven't seen Guernsey Potato Pie, and it may well be similar. But it certainly isn't sentimental or twee.

I haven't seen the film but I loathed the book. I haven't even attempted the film, I just assumed it would be even worse for the blood sugar than the book.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

There is no feel good factor to The Bookshop

Mrs Green's is a sincere and generous person, a very attractive personality, but her bravery is largely naivete. She doesn't believe she can be ousted because she doesn't know how such a thing could be done. She ain't read enough psychological thrillers. Malice wins. Though at least the woman, Mrs Gamart, gets to be told to her face that she is repellent...by someone whose admiration she would probably have coveted as a nice little feather in her nasty little cap.

I didn't like the book, but it was an interesting essay on the ways and means, and determined exercise of parochial power.

 

[AgentPete]

Hello @Katie-Ellen,

We are changing the status of this ticket to closed as we have not heard back from you in 7 days.