User reviews

The three main stars put in stellar performances, Emily Mortimer in particular shows her true acting colours in this aged tale about class and corruption. I love the story, the direction, the acting, and the way it shows at the end that despite all the corruption and badness in humans, one can touch another one in their life for a short period of time, and have a lasting positive impact on them for the rest of their lives. Beautifully done and my only regret is that I can't see it again for the first time.

Echoes of Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood whisper throughout the deliciously slow film The Bookshop (2017), a village drama that captures the essence of old-world Britishness. If narrative action is important to you there is little to see here, but if you enjoy character portraits you will love this inconsequential tale told beautifully.

Set in a sleepy 1959 seaside port, young widow Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) arrives determined to overcome her grief and open a small bookshop. The town has never had a bookshop and most of the villagers don't like books anyway, except for the reclusive Mr Brundish (Bill Nighy) who reads everything he can. After pushing through a wall of petty officials the shop opens in a run-down cottage despite fierce opposition from the imperious Mrs Gamart (Patricia Clarkson). She wants the cottage reclaimed as an arts centre, so battle-lines are drawn between small-mindedness and the winds of change.

At times the story slows down so much that it almost stops, just to watch tall grass swaying in the wind or to hear leaves sighing on trees. The camera lingers in the space between words or glances, or it traverses shelves full of books with titles hinting that change is coming. Even the film's highlight romantic scene is little more than agonisingly tender moments that evaporate into the ether. Fortunately, the cinematography is up to the challenge of capturing mood and nuance as it dwells on Bradbury's dystopian Fahrenheit 451 (1953)and Nabokov's controversial Lolita (1955)to telegraph the post-war social transformation that is underway elsewhere.

Instead of pushing the narrative forward, the film prefers to dwell on archetypal caricatures of small people in small places. A smug gadabout, a banker nicknamed Mr Potato Head, a smelly fishmonger, a precocious teenager, a dithering lawyer, the snobbish and manipulative Mrs Gamart, and of course, the incurable romantic Mr Brundish. While these are portrayed with a light brush, it is Florence who holds our attention for the depth of her vanguard feminist courage and self-belief. The entire cast is well chosen, but Emily Mortimer is the film's undoubted shining star.

It might be argued that Bill Nighy is such an icon of British movies that he overpowers any given role simply by being a composite of every other persona he has ever played. In other words: he is always Bill Nighy. But that is a minor distraction in an otherwise flawlessly directed, slow-burning village drama of how books and ideas can change the world we live in. It is not recommended, however, for anyone who does not have the time or need to stop and smell flowers or watch boats sail by.

I do not understand how this beautiful film could have such . . . abysmal ratings. I believe it deserves more credit. Anyone with a love of literature or this style of film should definitely give it a watch and appreciate it!

A charming and attractive movie set in England 1959 at a small East Anglian town dealing with a stubborn woman called Florence Green : Emilio Mortimer , who attempts to create a bookshop and along the way she amasses a series of obstacles and opposition by some local powers . Then she faces off egoístic local population and other inconveniences , exception for a good-tempered and amiable lonely man : Bill Nighy who helps her . A town that lacks a bookshop is not always a town that wants one! A town without a bookshop is no a town at all.

Enjoyable and feeling drama , adding social habits of a small community at a coastal little town . The main premise results to be the following : is there a place for opening a bookshop in a small town that may not want one ¿. Concerning the peculiar life of an obstinate widow and a loner widower , both of them extremely enthusiasts of reading and books . Two solitary beings whose lives to be intersected thanks to books as Lolita by Vladimir Nabokob and notorious writers as Ray Bradbury : Farenheit 451 . Emily Mortimer is pretty good as the free-spirited entrepreneur who attempts to bring a cultural awakening and Bill Nighy is splendid as the reclusive book loving widower . Along with other secondaries as Patricia Clarson playing the polite but ruthless local grand Lady, Michael Fitzgerald , Francés Barber , James Lance , among others

Special mention for the brilliant and luxurious cinematography by Jean Claude Larrieu. As well as agreeable and evocative musical score by Alfonso de Villalonga . The motion picture was competently directed by the Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet following her ordinary feeling style . Coixet e is a fine professional , and she is sually the camera operator of her movies . Isabel is a nice craftsman who has made thoughtful and heartful films , such as : A los que Aman , Map of Sounds of Tokyo , Another me, The Secret Life of Words , Things I Never Told You , Endless Night , Learning to Drive, Elisa and Mariela . And his greatest hits were Another Me , Bookshop. She also has made some documentary and shorts as Proyecto Tiempo , Sea Aral, Espíritu de la Pintura , Marea Blanca , Marlango, Spain in a Day and a segment of París Je taim , among others . The Bookshop rating : 7/ 10. Well worth watching . Better than average .

Florence Green (Emily Mortimer) is a widow who dreams of opening a modest bookshop in a tiny Sussex seaside town, which by 1959 is virtually cut off from the outside English literature world. Florence is kindhearted to a fault, and because she lacks that needed killer business savvy, and instead possesses great naivety by first hiring a ten (10) year old girl named Christine (Honor Kneafsey) who is physically removed from her school classroom for being under aged and gainfully employed. Florence next hires a smarmy unemployed Milo North (James Lance) who has a hidden agenda for his willingness to take the job at the pay grade that his ten year old predecessor was making, which should have set off warning bells for the naive yet generous bookshop owner Florence.

This is the story between pure goodness (Emily Mortimer) and her dream of opening a bookshop for the townspeople more than for herself and lack of want for a successful business, and the sheer vindictiveness when a rich woman Violet Gamart (Patricia Clarkson) wants to remove the recently opened bookshop and replace it with a ridiculous arts center.

Florence does have a small cloister of bookshop supporters, none greater than a recluse widower named Edmund Brundish (Bill Nighy) but Florence is out matched by the social status and wealth of the vindictive Violet Gamart who takes any and all means of usurping both old and newly creative bylaws to oust Florence and her bookshop for her own vanity project, the arts center.

Mrs. Shullivan and I were both brokenhearted and ecstatic with how the film ends, so no spoilers will be forthcoming. See the bookshop for yourself and you become the critic. As for myself, I give the bookshop a 7 out of 10 rating for its warmth of story line and worthy ending for a good versus evil film.

Emily Mortimer is the over-riding presence and the main reason to see Spanish director, Isabel Coixet's adaptation of Penelope Fitzgerald's 1978 novel about a woman's struggles to bring a bit of literary culture to an English town that badly needs it. No prizes for guessing Florence Green a childless war widow, may have chosen the wrong town in settling in the seaside town of Hardborough in the county of Suffolk with the aim of setting up a bookshop in a rundown property. She encounters opposition to her endeavour from the outset and despite succeeding in the venture in the short to medium term, opposing forces exist which threaten the long term existence of her book shop.

Have no doubt The Bookshop is not a "big film", full of dramatic impact. Rather it's a small-scale, quintessentially English village type tale in the nature of British TV series such as Doc Martin. Director Coixot brings a lovely sense of place to the film, despite the fact that some of the Spanish and Northern Ireland filming locations are far beyond Suffolk. No matter! The location cinematography is stunningly convincing and the late 1950's set and art design and costuming is outstanding.

The storyline is somewhat contrived. It just never seems clear why it appears so many of the town's inhabitants are non-supportive of Florence's efforts to open up a new business, which appears to be relatively successful upon beginning trading. In the interests of story flow we just seem to have to accept that one particular wealthy woman played by a suitably oily Patricia Clarkson, has seemingly infinite influence throughout the town, local government and even at a national government level. In my corner of the world the proletariat would be rallying behind Florence's cause, not opposing her. But I digress.

Mortimer beautifully embodies the calm stoicism and focused determination of Florence Green. She's even quite entrancing, just watching her listen to other onscreen characters addressing her, or at times talking about her. Bill Nighy is restrained in his interpretation of Florence's singular adult ally, Edmund Brundish, a remote, eccentric town elder, seemingly embittered at the general population for largely unspecified reasons. Mention has to be made of Honor Kneafsey who plays Christine, Florence's part time student assistant, who really gives a thoroughly engaging performance as a smart working class family product, ready to look out over the horizon and eager for new experiences.

Bibliophiles and connoisseurs of quality English period drama will find plenty to admire in The Bookshop.Not the least being the symbolistic highlighting of much of Ray Bradbury's work, such as Fahrenheit 451 with its book-burning firemen. This is a fine story of an independent woman of integrity attempting to implement a vision, against the forces of Philistinism lined up against her. I enjoyed the little twist of the tale in the final scenes, which clarify better the use of narration during the film.

Lovely film for me. slow paced but full of meaning and reflecting society's power when it wants to reject something new and not in the order of usual expectations. It may stirs your emotions and make you wonder why some people can be so stoic but can keep their own emotion into a very reasonable check. Although you may witness some outburst but you will not see an easy surrender or long winded retaliation. I wish those who are so critical of such work make it as a personal observation instead of making themselves authority in this art. We don't all have the same taste, upbringing and education so we don't share the same appreciation.

I really wanted to like this film. It stars 2 of my favorite female actors - Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson. It's not their fault I didn't enjoy the film since it's based on a book. The problem for me was that there seems to be a piece missing from the story. Not for one second did I believe that Clarkson's character wanted the old house to run an arts center, but there's no plausible explanation given. I haven't read the book so I don't know if that's part of the story but it certainly wasn't explained in the film. I left disappointed.

I've never written a review before but am saddened and taken aback by the vitriol of certain reviewers of this masterful and subtle film. The production, the cast, and the story are all captivating and moving. I needn't go into a synopsis of the story as others have more or less done so. I will say that it is a big "little" film that tells of small town politics and human dynamics with great compassion and sensitivity. It also tells an honest story of what all too often happens to an outsider. Book lovers will especially appreciate it.

I wanted to like this film, I really did. Its nicely set, the costumes and the feeling of the time and place are quite accurate. The story is ok. Its just so very flat a film. I don't mind slowly paced films, but to make up for the lack of pace they need to be charming, or witty, or nuanced.....or at the very least original. All through this film I thought of Chocolat. Similar premise in both, but Chocolat is better scripted, acted and directed. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with The Bookshop, it just underwhelms. Maybe I should have watched it on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it passes the time harmlessly. A bit like a BBC period drama.

Once again, I see criticism of a film because it moves to slowly. It a modern curse. I looked one day and found that 25 percent of the films available were based on comic book characters. Most of them involve the same tired martial arts, with overdressed villains who are going to destroy the world. I like escape and enjoy good adventure too, but this is what mainstream cinema seems to have become, so when something introspective comes along it is seen as boring. We've given up the effort to look into the souls of people. Here is the story of a good woman who becomes victimized by a cruel town led by a rich, narcissistic human being. It is slow moving but the message is really striking. Emily Mortimer has so much emotion in her face and manner. For those of you that gave this a single point, perhaps she should have used a round kick and snapped off the old lady's head.

THE BOOKSHOP boasts stunning photography, good looking actors, acting of a very competent order, and equally competent direction but, after two hours of watching so much beauty and possibly avoidable drama, all I was left with was this question: so what?

I love books and I love Bill Nighy and Emily Mortimer and they play to their strengths in this charming period piece about vindictive English small-mindedness.

However, I'm sure the book was far better than the movie - god save us, as ever, from writer/directors! - as the screenplay doesn't quite come off and some of the characters'' lines don't flow or hang together terribly well. The pace is slow but not painfully slow apart from those sections with songs which do absolutely nothing except make you wish they'd end!

The period setting is wonderful but not enough to carry the movie. The inevitable ending is heavily telegraphed in the first part of the movie - c'mon Coixet! But I did love the Ray Bradbury references.

I was charmed by the idea and setting but if you're not a book lover or a particular fan of the actors - really?? - you may not get much out of it.

I won't bother with plot details and the like. They have been well set out. This light-hearted movie, or so it seems, becomes a dark tale of the powerful and powerless. The small triumph, such as it is, is very far in the future, offering little solace to the main character. Every scene is beautifully crafted and acted, as the movie builds to its unhappy conclusion.

The whole, however, is better than the sum of its parts. That results in a movie that is unexpectedly moving and insightful.

Books, The Best Weapons in the World. And they're a weapon of mass destruction under Isabel Coixet's direction in "The Bookshop". Set in late 50's England, this is one woman's battle to open a bookshop. Emily Mortimers' Florence Green is pitted against the towns Social Matriarch, Violet Gamart, played by Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson. The Bookshop is based on Penelope Fitzgerald's novel and narrated from her point of view as a child in this charming seaside Village. Award winning British Character actor, Bill Nighy steals every scene he's in. So many books, so little time.

As a book lover, I thought the story itself was interesting. But it was so incredibly slow I almost gave up watching it. Young Honor Kneafsey was shining from her first line and brought life to the story. Actually, the casting was surely the best in this production, as it seemed like each one there was born to play their character. And suddenly the movie became so fluid and easy I did not want it to end. But the ending came to be as slow as the beginning and I should say I was a bit desappointed by the last scenes, but it was based on an existing book, so I can't really complain about that. After all, I liked it. The bookshop atmosphere and great cast made it a worth watching movie.

Saw this film last night, my expectations being relatively low, as I had no idea really what it was about. Having seen it now, I can honestly say it is a film any indie film lover should watch.

The movie itself is rather gorgeous and I was hit with a rush of nostalgia for European films set in a similar era, this film being set in 1950s England.

A movie like this is important because it reminds its viewers to chase their dreams, no matter how outlandish and preposterous they may sound. Emily Mortimer's idea of opening up a bookshop leads to much controversy in her little town, but her determination to get what she wants and her love of books is unmatched. Bill Nighy does a fantastic job as her biggest client, and adds humor and goodness to the movie that would be lacking otherwise.

Admittedly, I did lack interest in the film here and there, but it was a good watch overall.

Mr Brundish, in the film, states that "gods, humans and animals all have one thing in common - courage."

That was the heart of this story from beginning to end. You may not have liked that the story did not conclude as you would have liked but it was real and genuine, something we see infrequently.

Firstly I've got to say what a great cast this film has, from Bill Nighy as the curmudgeonly old bookworm, to Emily Mortimer as the ever hopeful would-be bookshop owner. The story though, is an absolute letdown. From the moment it begins you know exactly how it's going to end. It's also flat, without tempo or any semblance of cadence. It's like watching Waiting for Godot when somebody has already told you that (spoiler alert) Godot's not coming. It is both unoriginal and uneventful, with an ending that left most of the audience in the cinema murmuring 'oh' and 'is that it?' I really can't recommend it.

People who love film often love reading, and this jewel of a movie delivers a treat. How can a movie go wrong with Emily Mortimer and Bill Nighy? They develop a relationship with few words but common principles. Patricia Clarkson is cast in a role that uses her acting expertise to its full advantage. I am grateful to have found this movie.

Well ... I tried to like this movie. But I could not. It has great cinematography and production design, but that's it. Artificial characters, artificial dialogues, artificial situations, a very weak storyline. It didn't work for me, unfortunately.