The Summer House Movie Review 1994

Comedy of manners set in 1959 England about the manipulations of three middle-aged women (Moreau, Plowright, Walters) over the impending marriage of one's dreamy young daughter (Headey) to a dolt (Threlfall). Moreau stirs things up as the spirited and skeptical friend of Walters, the deluded bride's mother whom she must interrupt from her busy nuptial preparations and somehow communicate the obvious. Plowright is perfectly cast as the gimlet-eyed groom's mother, well aware of her son's flaws, who achieves an odd alliance with polar opposite Moreau. Strong performances from all the veterans carry the day. Based on the novel by Alice Thomas Ellis.

Distribution

Hallmark Home Entertainment, 6100 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90048, Phone: (213)634-3000, Fax: (213)549-3760, Remarks: Lainie Handelman, Mktg.

Available on VHS
Running time 85 minutes.
Originally from British.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Wedding Bells, Period Piece: 1950s

Screenplay

Martin Sherman

Cast

Jeanne Moreau, Joan Plowright, Julie Walters, Lena Headey, David Threlfall, Padraig Casey, Britta Smith, John Wood

Director

Waris Hussein

Music

Stanley Myers

Producer

Norma Heyman, Mark Shivas, Samuel Goldwyn Company