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United Kingdom, United States · 2005
1h 48m
Director Dan Ireland
Starring Joan Plowright, Rupert Friend, Zoë Tapper, Anna Massey
Genre Comedy, Drama
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Mrs. Palfrey is an elderly woman living in the Claremont retirement home in London. One day she meets the young Ludovic, a writer and street musician, and the two strike up a curious friendship after Mrs. Palfrey asks Ludovic to pretend to be her grandson.
In its well-mannered way, this genteel film delicately keeps its platonic May-December love story from turning creepy. But without the sexual undertones and macabre humor of Hal Ashby's classic, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont is merely a soft, slightly patronizing movie about the poignancy of aging.
New York Daily News by Jami Bernard
The movie pulls off the trick of blurring the distinctions between romantic and platonic attractions across the generations.
Directed with charming restraint by the acclaimed American producer Dan Ireland, the film is a quiet triumph for Dame Joan.
The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt
The details are what matters, and thanks to a cast of all-star British elders and a mischievous sense of humor, the filmmakers bring those details to vivid life.
Newcomer Friend, a Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike who can also be seen in small roles in "The Libertine" and "Pride & Prejudice," has a winning manner, but Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont is a terrific, long-overdue vehicle for Lady Olivier.
This earnest, well-observed weepy has more depth than its genteel trappings might imply.
Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer
Plowright's performance as a genteel widow in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont is a small-scale gem, deeply felt without being in the least bit showy.
Watching these old pros elbow their way into the spotlight is the film’s finest surprise, but watching Plowright out-act them all is the ultimate joy.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
The unabashedly sentimental film is a juicy morsel for the great British actress Dame Joan Plowright, who endows Mrs. Palfrey with stoic charm and decency.
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