Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont - bime.com Product Guide

All but abandoned by her family in a london retirement hotel an elderly woman strikes up a curious friendship with a young writer. Studio: Westlake Entertainmnt Inc Release Date: 12/05/2006 Starring: Joan Plowright Zoe Tapper Run time: 108 minutes Director: Dan Ireland
The talented indie director Dan Ireland (The Whole Wide World, ) brings his deft, intimate touch to a lovely tale of family--and how to build one. Joan Plowright is Mrs. Palfrey, a genteel widow who moves to London to start her life anew, and to be less of a burden to her daughter. When she arrives at the dowdy Claremont Hotel, which is not quite the picture of loveliness it was in the brochure, Plowright delivers Mrs. P's quick assessment--"Oh, dear"--with a spot-on mix of fleeting disappointment and stiff-upper-lip-itude. As she settles in among the oddball residents of the hotel, her life appears to be heading into a slow, downward decline. But when she meets young aspiring writer Ludovic (the adorable British actor Rupert Friend), Mrs. P--and we--learns that real family ties can be chosen, not inherited. The storyline is familiar and simple, with echoes of Tuesdays with Morrie, but the intimacy portrayed by the two lead actors brings surprising layers and emotion to the film, which envelopes the viewer like a cozy shawl. Extras include an excellent commentary with Ireland and producer Zachary Matz, Plowright's acceptance speech for an AARP award for her role in the film, and photo galleries. --A.T. Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

Such a "Gift" for a world lacking in true focus!:

Joan Plowright held me spellbound from start to finish. The cast is magically interwoven in such way that all become family and create the very best outcome for a story that is alive within society each day, yet seems to be unseen and not acknowledged. Our elders are not supported or respected as well they should be.
Joan tells the story through the greatest piece of acting I have seen for many a year, between herself and her young friend, they wrap the viewer safely within the story, so safely, that... more info

Charming:

I truly enjoyed this movie. Joan Plowright is a lovely lady and a wonderful actress. She has style of her own that is yet plain and simple but yet elegant. She showed being ederly, you still can have style and elegance. Rupert Friend, his character was a perfect gentlemen as helping elderly people. It was nice to see a movie where people aren't taking advantage of elderly people. But on another note, it was sad regarding her own family not there for her when she wanted them to.

Can't Choose Your Family, But You Can Choose Your Friends:

I enjoyed watching this film a lot more than I thought I would. Everything about this movie from the cast of actors chosen, great cast of interesting characters, storyline and so on were superb.
I loved Joan Plowright's character, Mrs. Sara Palfrey, a lovable, smart, independent widow, who wants to be involved in her adult daughter & adult grandson's lives without be a burden or bother to them. Mrs. Palfrey takes up residence at The Claremont Hotel in London, which she reads about. While at the... more info

A feel good film:

This film is a tender, warm movie -- something like the films of old, which you can watch over and over again. A bit slow in the beginning, but captivates you completely.

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