Tortoise in Love (2012)

Tom, gardener at the big house, can talk to plants but not to women. When beautiful Polish au pair Anya arrives for the summer, Tom falls for her catastrophically like the felling of one of the giant trees he cares for in the grounds.

Director:

Guy Browning

Writer:

Guy Browning

Stars:

Tom Mitchelson, Alice Zawadzki, Tom Yates

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Mitchelson	...	Tom
Alice Zawadzki	...	Anya
Tom Yates	...	Harry
Mike Kemp	...	Albert
Steven Elder	...	Brendan
Duncan Armitage	...	Jason Grandage
Des Brittain	...	Spud Collington
Lesley Staples	...	Mrs Summers
Sharon Gavin	...	Charlie
Anna Scott	...	Jane
Kate Terence	...	Liz Collington
Ivan Kaye	...	Sean
Philip Herbert	...	Bob Hardcastle
Tony Long	...	Jack Partridge
Petina Hapgood	...	Mary

Storyline

Tom, gardener at the big house, is not a fast mover with women. In fact he's glacially slow. When beautiful Polish au pair Anya arrives for the summer, Tom falls for her catastrophically like the felling of one of the giant trees he cares for in the manicured grounds. Tom's adviser in matters of the heart is young Harry, abandoned by the rich owners of the house to run wild in the gardens. Harry's secret wish is for the Red Arrows to appear at the village fair: Tom's is to win the heart of Anya. Both seem impossible dreams until the whole village decides to lend a hand.

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Plot Keywords:

giant | 

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Taglines:

He likes you. He's just a slow mover.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

An actress from Florida in the USA , after realizing she couldn't be cast in the film, volunteered to help from across the pond in other ways. One of them was to write online articles. She communicated often with one of the production people, and after the film wrapped he wrote to her giving special thanks and a "title." She was given the title of "U.S. Correspondent." The actress is Deborah Smith Ford.

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Connections

Featured in The One Show: Episode #7.95 (2012)

User Reviews

Feel good romcom made by my village

Tortooise in Love has a delightful back story about how the whole of a small Oxfordshire village came together to make the film, and many of the smaller parts are played by the villagers themselves resulting in many beautiful little cameo moments. This includes a cameo by the local MP Ed Vaisey who is now Britain's Film Minister.

The village provides a beautiful setting and the comedy element is there from the beginning. There is no sex, violence or nudity. Much of the humour is slightly suggestive or pantomime in style and is broadly based around approaches to courting which don't work out quite as planned.

The lead character is reminiscent of Hugh Grant and the film perhaps similar to Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill. The story of how it came to be made would be a film in itself. As a village resident and extra myself I admit an interest, but my kids age 10 and 11 were captivated throughout and having now seen it three times I still laugh out loud at many moments. Certainly a feel good film.

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Husband Obedience Trials

Filming Locations:

Kingston Bagpuize House, Kingston Bagpuize, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP160,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$135,406

Company Credits

Production Co:

Immense Productions, KBS Films

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1