The Bookshop

source: The Bookshop

I have to say that the films I've seen this year that are worthwhile are few and far between. Unfortunately, this film isn't one of them. Stilted acting, bad directing, bad timing, and ridiculous costumes didn't help. I got the feeling that the director was trying to make each scene be something profound, but making the scene last 30 seconds too long wasn't the way to do it. In the end, the whole movie just seemed pointless and I added it to my ever-growing list of "how on earth did this thing ever get made" movies.

"The Bookshop" (2016 release; British-Spanish co-production; 113 min.) brings the story of Florence Green. As the movie opens, we are introduced to Florence, a middle-aged widow in a coastal town in England in the late 50s. She has been dreaming of opening a bookshop, and despite the resistance of the local banker, manages to renovate an old house. Then one day she is invited to a party, hosted by local powerhouse Violet, who had envisioned opening an arts center in the old house... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: the is the latest movie from Spanish award-winning Isabel Coixet. Here she brings the Penelope Fitzgerald novel of the same name to the big screen. I have not red the book and hence cannot comment how closely the film remains to the book. What I can say is this: the plot (can Florence's bookshop make it?) is wafer-thin, and this is mostly a talk talk talk movie in which many words are spoken but not much happens. Watch the scene in the bookshop between Florence and her helper, a young girl with too much time on her hands, as they talk about... nothing, and talk, and talk some more. Or watch the scene between Florence and the mysterious Mr. Brundish when she is invited for high tea, and the two talk about... nothing much, and talk, and talk. I have to admit I became bored out of my mind, and it became an endurance test to make it through the film. Entertaining is not quite the word. Emily Mortimer (as Florence) tries to make the best of a difficult situation. Much better is Patricia Clarkson as the scheming Violet (in a role reminiscent of her recent appearance in the "Sharp Objects" HBO mini-series). Bill Nighy plays Mr. Brundish. Also striking: how isolated small towns in the English countryside were back in those days. I wish I could be more positive about this film. "The Bookshop" recently opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati (it also played in Antwerp, Belgium when I was there on a family visit a month ago). The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so: about 10 people, all women (except myself). Is this a chick flick? I didn't think so, but I could be wrong (I love books, though). If you are in the mood for a talkie-movie that outdoes any French talkie by a mile or two, and love book, I'd suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Went to see this with no expectations, but it would have to be the most boring film I've ever seen. Slow moving, long soundless moments, and nothing of substance (except the final scene). Was very hard to stop myself from falling asleep. Disappointing.

Please! Overworked, overwrought, overacted and ... over-rated. The music is laughably inappropriate -- soaring violins and orchestral splashes do not match the script. Bill Nighy plays ... Bill Nighy. He does his best, but the awkward script is against him. There is too much missing background. For example, the heroine has been a widow for 16 years ... so what did she do all that time? Where did she get her money from? After she loses everything, what the hell does she do/is she going to do? Why the long, lingering shots of water, fields, trees? They add nothing to the film; they have no purpose except to look "pretty" I'm sorry, but I've seen student efforts that rated as highly as this ... and not as pretentious.

People who love film often love reading, and this jewel of a movie delivers a treat. How can a movie go wrong with Emily Mortimer and Bill Nighy? They develop a relationship with few words but common principles. Patricia Clarkson is cast in a role that uses her acting expertise to its full advantage. I am grateful to have found this movie.

I took my mum to see his for mother's day and even she thought it sucked. It was very dull and the story was terrible and so dull I would rather watch paint dry.

Felt like a great missed opportunity ... a flavour of post-war English small-mindedness, eccentrically 'off' characters in a Suffolk coastal town conspiring against the adventurous outsider trying to run a bookshop ... yet somehow it all fell flat for me. The actors weren't quite there, strange to see the likes of Emily Mortimer and Bill Nighy struggling to make their lines work (under-rehearsed, perhaps, an unfinished script, cuts to the budget of the film ... who knows?). Viewers are quite savy these days, so you can't really paper over the cracks with nice costumes and authentic sets and settings etc. There will be some outside Britain who view the film as another quaint old period drama depicting how the country used to be, good for the American market etc. To be honest though, BBC and ITV turn out dramas like this season in seaon out, so I'm not sure what director Isabel Coixet hoped to achieve with this particular adaptation. Sorry, but script and acting needs work, no getting round it! I cried at the end of the film, when I realized one of its little 'big' ideas ... I won't spoil it for you, but for me personally that just added insult to injury!

I do not understand how this beautiful film could have such . . . abysmal ratings. I believe it deserves more credit. Anyone with a love of literature or this style of film should definitely give it a watch and appreciate it!