Relative Values (2000)

Director:

Eric Styles

Writers:

Noel Coward (play)
Paul Rattigan (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A man returns home with his bride-to-be, an actress, who turns out to be the sister of his family's maid.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Love | Marriage | Famous | Fake Accent

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 12

1:00 PM

SHOW

Cast

Julie Andrews	...	Felicity Marshwood
Edward Atterton	...	Nigel Marshwood
William Baldwin	...	Don Lucas
Colin Firth	...	Peter Ingleton
Stephen Fry	...	Frederick Crestwell
Sophie Thompson	...	Dora Moxton 'Moxie'
Jeanne Tripplehorn	...	Miranda Frayle / Freda Birch
Stephanie Beacham	...	Elizabeth
Gaye Brown	...	Lady Hayling
Anwen Carlisle	...	Alice
Kathryn Dimery	...	Mrs Crane
Charles Edwards	...	Phillip Bateman-Tobias
Michael Higgs	...	Film director
John Hinnigan	...	Stable boy
Patrick Marley	...	Hawkins

MPAA:

Rated PG for language.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Iceland:L | Australia:G | Germany:o.Al. | Spain:T | UK:PG | USA:PG | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Isle of Man

Company:

Encore Media Group

Trivia:

Whilst filming on the Isle of Man in 1999, the cast joined members of the public to watch the eclipse. This provoked such surprise that more people ended up watching 'Julie Christie' than the eclipse.

Quotes:

Miranda Frayle: I am leaving; I am taking the 11 o'clock train.
Nigel: No, you can't do that!
Miranda Frayle: Why?
Nigel: It's a terrible train. You have to change twice!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "QI: Film (#6.11)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

All My Love

A delightful story P.G. Wodehouse would have been proud of.

My first thought when I first watched this movie was of how similar it was to the writing styles of P.G. Wodehouse and the famous English playwright Oscar Wilde. The storyline starts off deceptively simply and slowly builds in complexity until a frenetic climax explodes all over the viewer. It is virtually impossible to try and explain the plot to someone because it simply has too many twists and turns.

This movie is an unusual one for Ms. Tripplehorne in that she plays a glamorous Grace Kelly/Marilyn Monroe-esque movie star instead of her usual supporting actress role. I thought it was a lovely change and she did a stunning job capturing the mannerisms and acting style of the era. The little movie clip of her and "Don Lucas" in the preposterously titled 'A Kiss in the Dark' was so (very bad) Casablanca that I just had to laugh.

The story progressed beautifully with little touches of absurdity in just the right places, such as the poor unfortunate maid walking (read 'running') the dogs across the manor grounds. And because good comedy comes in threes, we see her three times throughout the movie.

But for me, the real winner in this movie is Colin Firth's role as Peter, the ubiquitous nephew-in-residence. His lines are delivered beautifully, but it is his facial expressions, and soft, unspoken mimicry of Miranda Frayle that really clinch it. His smart-aleck remarks are tempered with just enough Britishness to keep them from being outright obnoxious. It's lovely to see him in a role that must have been so much fun.

On the whole, I thought the movie was marvelous. It's full of deliciously sketched characters, masterfully crafted dialogue, very effective camera work, beautiful costumes and props, and of course, ridiculous coincidences that serve to drive the plot towards its inevitable conclusion. A great movie to enjoy yourself and also to recommend to your mother or anyone else with discriminating taste.