Piccadilly Jim (2004)

Set in the 1930s, an American with a scandalous reputation on both sides of the Atlantic must do an about-face in order to win back the woman of his dreams.

Director:

John McKay

Writers:

Julian Fellowes (screenplay), P.G. Wodehouse (book)

Stars:

Sam Rockwell, Frances O'Connor, Tom Wilkinson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Rockwell	...	Jim Crocker
Frances O'Connor	...	Ann Chester
Tom Wilkinson	...	Bingley Crocker
Brenda Blethyn	...	Nesta Pett
Allison Janney	...	Eugenia Crocker
Austin Pendleton	...	Peter Pett
Hugh Bonneville	...	Lord Wisbeach
Tom Hollander	...	Willie Partridge
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Bayliss
Rupert Simonian	...	Ogden Ford
Pam Ferris	...	Miss Trimble
Kevin Eldon	...	Wizzy Wisbeach
Nitin Ganatra	...	Banje Singh
James Wallace	...	Percy, Duke of Arminster
Delia Lindsay	...	Duchess of Arminster

Storyline

It's the 1930's. American sisters Eugenia Crocker and Nesta Pett are extremely wealthy and extremely competitive, with each disliking the other. Their latest quest of oneupsmanship has Nesta trying to marry off her niece by marriage, poetess turned crime novelist Ann Chester, to Lord Reginald Wisbeach, so that there will royalty in the family. This move is against Ann's wishes as she doesn't love the stuffy Lord. Meanwhile, Eugenia, now living in London, is trying to buy a royal title. Eugenia's current quest and others like it are always hindered by the notoriety of her stepson, James Crocker - better known as Piccadilly Jim, for the newspaper gossip column he used to write and the job from which he got fired - who is known as a womanizer, brawler, gambler and drunk. Jim is thinking about becoming more respectable when he meets and falls in love at first sight with a beautiful American visiting London. That woman is Ann, who hates what she knows of Jim, not only for that notoriety, ...

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | nickname in title | forename in title | picadilly jim character | love | 

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Taglines:

What's Wrong with Love?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film appearance of Sia. She appears briefly as a singer in a bar and, unusually, her entire face is clearly visible!

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Quotes

Jim Crocker: How much for your trousers?

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Connections

Version of Piccadilly Jim (1919)

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Soundtracks

Love Will Tear Us Apart
written by Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner
performed by Sia (as Sia Furler)

User Reviews

Let's retain a sense of perspective

I have seen this twice, but I had not realised that it was a PG Wodehouse story, which would perhaps have made it bizarre. However, in my ignorance, I loved the clashing of modern music and wicked thievery of modern images into the 1930s. Loved the cast - I had not seen either of the two romantic leads before, but the supporting cast was a sea of faces well-known and well-loved. Perhaps it went on a teensy bit, but I thought it was well done, a thoroughly enjoyable whizz of a movie. It is entertainment you know, not a contender for a Nobel Peace Prize. Wodehouse was always meant to be fun, and this certainly fits the bill. Bouquets to the household staff for their instant sterilisation of the mansion in the opening scenes. Wonderful, wonderful Geoffrey Palmer, Brenda Blethyn and Tom Wilkinson .. indeed a good couple of hours all told.

Details

Country:

Isle Of Man UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Piccadilly Jim

Filming Locations:

Claydon House, Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Myriad Pictures, Isle of Man Film Commission, Mission Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1