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Rating: I'm not particularly fond of comedies and I watched this one almost by chance. And, incredibly, I liked it. It's not something that will have you shout out in amazement or overly excite you, but it’s a film that falls into the category of “films that are films” (haha). If I counted how many silly comedies have been released in the past five years, they'd probably number well over a hundred. So, I’m glad that for once someone has released a smart and well-constructed little film.
The story isn’t even all that complicated, so you spend an hour and a half in peace on the couch without even noticing, reaching the end with your faculties still intact. The situation: the Goodfellow family isn’t doing very well. The father, a pastor in the town's church (Little Wallop, England, 53 inhabitants) neglects his wife in bed and seems so occupied with crafting the perfect sermon that he doesn’t notice his family life is falling apart. The 17-year-old daughter is a first-class rebel, promiscuous and a nymphomaniac, changing boyfriends twice a week. The little son, Peter, is the bullies’ favorite target at school, and the mother, Gloria, a middle-aged woman in full crisis, orphaned, courted by her golf coach, and forced into insomnia due to the neighbor’s dog, can’t take it anymore. Coming to solve the Goodfellow family’s problems is Grace, a charming, elderly housekeeper with a mysterious past, who will solve everyone’s problems in no time by “eliminating” them in the simplest way. Thus, she transforms the clumsy and wordy Mr. Goodfellow into a comedic cleric, removes the neighbor’s dog and Lance, Gloria’s lover, returning her into her husband’s arms, gets the daughter Holly into culinary arts, and does away with Peter’s bullies. Moral of the story? Just a touch of “Grace” and our problems, like magic, seem to disappear. They actually go to the afterlife.
From an artistic point of view, the production is appreciable, featuring a typically English set design, presenting a perpetually cloudy sky, heavily wallpapered houses, English cars, a typical village Protestant church, and typically British faces (of course, the American Lance, with his Lexus SUV, stands out). The direction is rather transparent. The screenplay features several gags, though they never descend into vulgarity, let alone obscenity (even if a couple of boobs are shown once or twice), presenting the classic English dark humor. The actors are quite good. Kudos to Kristin Scott Thomas (Gloria), who fits very well into her role. The cast also includes Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean, to be exact), who reinvents himself as a serious actor (in the role of the pastor) for once. And he succeeds. From a technical standpoint, there isn't much to say. I can say, however, that the film has nice colors.
In essence, perhaps “Keeping Mum” is a more harmless film than one might think. It doesn’t bark but it doesn’t bite either, and perhaps someone expected a slightly more personalized work (indeed, the film is a bit bland). Nevertheless, it is enjoyable and perfectly watchable. And, importantly, unlike many other expensive Hollywood blockbusters, you don’t forget it immediately once you leave the theater.
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