Wicked Little Letters
A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a dark and absurd scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based on a stranger than fiction true story, the film follows two neighbours: deeply conservative local Edith Swan and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding. When Edith and fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women - led by Police Officer Gladys Moss - begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss, and Rose may not be the culprit after all.
- Released:
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Stars: Jessie Buckley, Olivia Colman, Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Joanna Scanlan, Malachi Kirby, Lolly Adefope, Eileen Atkins, Alisha Weir, Gemma Jones, Hugh Skinner, Grant Crookes, Paul Chahidi, Jonny Sweet, Tim Key, Jason Watkins, Cyril Nri, Richard Goulding, Tim McMullan
- Director: Thea Sharrock
Comments
- lee_eisenberg - 2 July 2024
Curse it loud!
Okay, so it sounds as though Thea Sharrock's "Wicked Little Letters" took a lot of creative liberties, but you gotta love the overall story, with a town in 1920 England suddenly filled with obscene letters and blaming an abrasive Irish immigrant.
The movie at once both addresses distrust of the "other" (especially considering how the English viewed the Irish) and people's tendency to dumb down their language to sound "appropriate". One scene in particular seems to say "well that felt good". I wouldn't call it a masterpiece - especially when you read about the inaccuracies - but it's got some funny stuff. I suspect that deep down, a lot of Christians wish that they could spout all the profanities they want.
In addition to stars Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, it also has Anjana Vasan (from last year's season finale of "Black Mirror"), Timothy Spall (Wormtail in the Harry Potter movies) and Alisha Weir (the title character in the recent "Abigail"). - SnoopyStyle - 7 June 2024
fun and loving Buckley
It's 1920's in the small English town of Littlehampton. Someone has been sending obscene letters to religious spinster Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) who lives under her mother and belittling father (Timothy Spall). Unladylike Irish migrant single mother Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) had moved in next door with her daughter. At first, they seem to becoming good friends but events force them apart. After many letters, Edith reluctantly points the finger at Rose and the police is all too eager to arrest her. Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) is uncertain of the case, but the new woman police officer is powerless in the force.
It's not the first time that I've had this opinion. I love Jessie Buckley. With the right material, she injects a jolt of fun sweet energy into any story. It does take me a second to get used to the broad comedic strokes being used here. If I have any complaints, I would like some of the characters to act less dumb, even a guy like Constable Papperwick. I get the comedic notions, but he's more annoying than funny. More than anything, I really don't like the women looking like complete idiots. It works at cross purposes with the main theme of the movie. Despite any minor issues, the biggest asset to this movie are its actresses. Colman and Buckley are amazing. Vasan is pretty good and completes the trio lead. This is fun although I don't know much about the real story.
