Tamara Drewe (2010)

A young newspaper writer returns to her hometown in the English countryside, where her childhood home is being prepped for sale.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Moira Buffini (screenplay), Posy Simmonds (graphic novel)

Stars:

Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Dominic Cooper

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gemma Arterton	...	Tamara Drewe
Roger Allam	...	Nicholas Hardiment
Bill Camp	...	Glen McCreavy
Dominic Cooper	...	Ben Sergeant
Luke Evans	...	Andy Cobb
Tamsin Greig	...	Beth Hardiment
Jessica Barden	...	Jody Long
Charlotte Christie	...	Casey Shaw
James Naughtie	...	Interviewer
John Bett	...	Diggory
Josie Taylor	...	Zoe
Bronagh Gallagher	...	Eustacia
Pippa Haywood	...	Tess
Susan Wooldridge	...	Penny Upminster
Amanda Lawrence	...	Mary

Storyline

Once the ugly duckling in the Dorset village of Ewedown, Tamara Drewe returns to sell her late mother's house, now a glamorous journalist with a life-changing nose job. She awakens feelings in sexy old flame, Andy, the decent odd job man at pretentious author Nicholas Hardiment's writers' school and in Nicholas himself, a serial philanderer who cheats on his loyal wife Beth. But Tamara has a new man in her life, Ben, an obnoxious rock drummer whose marriage proposal she accepts, to the dismay of local girl - and Ben's biggest fan - Jody. Jody's efforts to sabotage the engagement lead to Tamara, on the rebound and finding Andy in the arms of another, allowing Nicholas to have his wicked way with her, and also allowing it to be photographed and sent to a distraught Beth. Beth's secret admirer, American writer Glen, confronts Nicholas out in the fields, but Ben's dog Boss has got loose and has caused a local farmer's cattle to stampede towards them, an event which will shape the futures ...

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Plot Keywords:

writer | drummer | house | childhood home | e mail | 

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Taglines:

A comedy about sex, love and a nose job...

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 2010 (UK)

Also Known As:

El regreso de Tamara Drewe

Filming Locations:

Dorset, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$18,604 (USA) (8 October 2010)

Gross:

$560,101 (USA) (11 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ruby Films, BBC Films, Notting Hill Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Andrea Arnold was offered the chance to direct the film. When she turned down the offer, Stephen Frears signed on.

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Goofs

When the two schoolgirls enter Tamara's house using the key under the flowerpot, they leave it in the front door. Yet when Tamara returns to the house a short while later, she is seen getting her own keys out as she walks up the path, and entering the house with them, the first key seemingly gone.

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Quotes

Glen McCreavy: Why does the asshole always get the girl?

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Connections

References Newsnight (1980)

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Soundtracks

"This is a low"
Written by Benjamin Todd and Nathan Cooper
Performed by SWIPE
Published by Copyright Control

User Reviews

brilliant

I remember the cartoon strip from the Guardian and the compelling story that made the Saturday paper a must buy each week that it ran. I had two worries going into the film: what happens if they change it and make it awful; and, I had imagined Tamara a little older than Gemma Arterton - maybe she was not right for the part. Film makers often disappoint (the "Time Travellers wife" is a case in point where an excellent story was ruined by someone not understanding the multiple viewpoints in the book).

Not sure if this was aimed at fat middle aged blokes - but it worked for me, my worries were groundless: the comedy and drama survived from the story (maybe Posy Simmonds should create more novels that can be filmed). The casting was excellent and Roger Allam gave a fantastic performance, Tamsin Greg was brilliant as usual and Gemma Arterton was a revelation in the lead role. The Drumming sequence with 'Ben' in the cottage was particularly brilliant. It was good with its 'loser' characters (and I thought, maybe they should have weekends to help civil servants write inspiring briefing for uninspiring Ministers)

I am amazed at the negative reviews on the site, I do not think that that the film tried to be more than it was and yes it was set in an idyllic English village - that was the point. Maybe these reviewers should be more careful at the multiplex and are more at home with rubbish like the "Expendibles". Not clear about the link to 'Cold Confort Farm' made by another reviewer this is clearly a different style of story about modern people in the modern countryside.

There was superb characterisation by a first rate cast in a subversive story that played with the stock characters that stories in English villages always have and made some real points about what is happening in these communities and about peoples lives and how selfish actions and jokey 'messing' can have big consequences in other people's lives.

Go and see this movie.