A typically mannered comedy of manners from Mike LEIGH in this portrait of a parvenu, White, petit-bourgeoisie that is irresistibly funny. It is also cringe-makingly embarrassing because of the inevitable one-upmanship, emotional repression, social awkwardness, condescension, racism, etc. The balance between tragedy and comedy is a fine one, but here works very well.
Under the surface, here, there is a profound rage for something better that the characters lack the genuine will to find, so instead they take it out on each other. This is more of a parody than a satire of repressed emotions since it posits no solutions to the profound political problems explored. It takes a little too long to get to the point as the various temperaments get drunk and reveal their psychological dysfunctions. The characters are running on empty to stand still in their being volitional talentless mediocrities trying to find solace in social snobbery.
Alison STEADMAN is quite brilliant as the lower-class woman with social aspirations who cannot hide her lack of sophistication while simultaneously believing she is both glamorous and the life and soul of the party. She is clearly none of those things and her shrill self-importance reveals a tactless and insensitive person who thinks she is hilarious yet who forces herself on others. She inanely believes those who refuse anything from her are simply refusing to enjoy themselves - and have we not all met people like that!
Her husband is no better since he is obsessed with the idea that hard work is the main reason for success while deriding the lower-class (from which he came) and non Whites regardless of how hard they work. To him both are the wrong 'class of people'.
The entire cast is, in fact, supremely excellent.
Copyright © 2009 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute it in any format; provided that mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com/) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
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