Food of Love (1997)

A group of ex-university students reunite to perform a Shakespeare play in a quaint English village.

Director:

Stephen Poliakoff

Writer:

Stephen Poliakoff

Stars:

Richard E. Grant, Nathalie Baye, Joe McGann

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard E. Grant	...	Alex Salmon
Nathalie Baye	...	Michele
Joe McGann	...	Sam
Sylvia Syms	...	Mrs Harvey-Brown
Liz Moscrop	...	Villiage woman
Nicola Duffett	...	Angela
Holly Davidson	...	Jessica
Jade Davidson	...	Madeline's daughter
Ian Lindsay	...	Fincham
Elizabeth Banks	...	Louise
Paula Bacon	...	Dianne
Juliet Aubrey	...	Madeline
Tameka Empson	...	Alice
Deddie Davies	...	Villiage woman
Charlotte Emmerson	...	Secretary

Storyline

Alex, a manager of a prestigious London bank, with ambitions and interests outside his 9 to 5 routine, find himself becoming increasingly alienated in the face of the new technology invading the modern world. He decides to return to an english village to stage, once again, a Shakespeare play, just as he had some years before. Alex reunites the original group of players who have lost touch since university and introduces three teenage students. At first sceptical about the idea, they are eventually seduced by Alex's passion...

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Plot Keywords:

village | student | assistant bank manager | theatre production | london england | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

France UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1998 (France)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Channel Four Film, Intrinsica Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Popsick"
Written by Shannon Wright
Performed by Crowsdell

User Reviews

One of the worst British films I have ever seen.

In recent years there has been a lot of press coverage regarding appalling feature films which have been funded by the National Lottery in the UK. Dozens of movies, made only because they have been supported by lottery grants, have flopped spectacularly at the British box office. Writer-director Steven Poliakoff's 'Food of Love' is one such film. It displays all that is wrong with the British movie industry. Why was such a boring, badly scripted, uncommercial film like this EVER financed? It's almost like Film Four wanted to make produce an uninteresting, unprofitable, unfunny movie. Well, they certainly succeeded.

'Food of Love' is chock-a-block full of mawkish dialogue, poor characterisation and tiresome acting mixed with an implausible storyline. It is nothing short of appalling. The normally brilliant Richard E. Grant is annoying and far too self-aware of his sub-standard performance; veteran actress Sylvia Sims is totally wasted and the rest of the cast are abysmal. None of the characters have any sort of real motivation for how they behave. At one point, one member of the cast buries his personal computer in a field (for no reason at all), then later regrets what he's done! It makes no sense.

The film's finale is awful, but it comes as a blessed relief. I would challenge anyone to actually enjoy this movie. It's just dull, self-indulgent, middle-class pretentious clap-trap and Poliakoff should be ashamed of himself.