The sleepy English village of Ewedown becomes quite lively when former ugly duckling Tamara Drewe comes back to town. Now sporting a perky new nose and sexy Daisy Dukes, Tamara quickly becomes romantically involved with a rock star, a sleezy older man, and her childhood sweetheart. With a large cast and many subplots, this story of what really goes on behind the quaint postcard-pretty closed doors is full of laughs and tender moments and even some cattle stampedes.This movie is completely charming. The characters are all believable, the setting is idyllic, and the script is clever and quirky. All of the adult shenanigans are witnessed and complicated by a pair of adolescent girls, a kind of comical Greek chorus who tie it all together. If you like good, indie British films, you'll love this one.
To make it easy for you, I think if you like Hollywood style romcoms you will probably hate this, and if you like British black humor, you will probably really like it. This is definitely not a Hollywood romcom. If you want something brainless with a lot of stereotypical characters and a predictable happy ending, then stop reading. It's also not it if you want to be uplifted or intellectually challenged it's meant to be a social comedy, but the black humor kind, not the kind that offers a serious social critique. There's also lots of dialogue and very little action, and there are no major conclusions, so if you have short attention span and like tidy endings, this is not for you.
So, why did I love this film? Well, as many other reviewers wrote, this is a social comedy set in rural England with plenty of British black humour and mediocre, real-to-life characters. Personally, I think this is the film's real charm. It displays life in all its beautiful-green-grass but nothing to do boredom think Midsomer Murders while showing all the life's little quirks and absurdities bit like Amelie or the Secretary. All the characters are kind of likable, but kind of not: the main character, Tamara Drewe, has our sympathy because she grew up ugly and had to deal with all sorts of nastiness as a result, but at the same time she's arrogant and sleeps with people for all the wrong reasons. Her teenage love is likeable for his down to earth views, but despisable for his lack of ambition. The rockstar Tamara's engaged to is a louche character, but one that loves his dog and treats enamored teenage girls with respect. There's the budding writer who is a coward that lets someone die by accident, but who's just a really nice American guy. There are the obnoxious, pathetic, plain and bored teenage girls, but in the end you're sorry for them, 'cause if you lived in that village you would throw eggs at cars, too...
Is this real life? YES!! People who are bored, not happy with their lives and otherwise unsatisfied with life do all sorts of stupid things, and that doesn't make them bad. It just shows how absurdly ridiculous, sad and sometimes funny life can be. I think the film shows this to perfection but in a really silly, tongue-in-the-cheek kind of way (e.g. super exaggerated teenagers, Tamara in really short shorts.) In my opinion, the best thing about it is that it doesn't treat the issues seriously but rather pokes fun at the mediocrity of life. Plus the sets were gorgeous and the acting fabulous, particularly from the teenage girls. I lived in England for a long time and I just can't shake the feeling that the film holds up the mirror to British life rather well...This clever little gem does a great job of capturing the spirit of the Hardy genre and updating it into to a film that has great pacing, a very healthy dose of black humor, interesting and flawed characters, and outstanding performances. The acting is really noteworthy. And the "greek chorus" in the form of bored teenage girls was fantastic. Interesting and original.
Read Best Reviews of Tamara Drewe (2010) Here
"Tamara Drewe" is deadly clever comedy of manners with a wickedly British sense of black humor. Post-plastic-surgery, the gorgeous Tamara Drewe comes home to her boring rural village -ostensibly to fix up and sell her deceased mother's house, but also to show up everyone who was cruel to her when she was a bright, angry teenager with an outsize nose. One of those people was her writer neighbor, a serial adulterer who reigns over the fawning guests at the farm/writer's colony actually run by his devoted and ultra-capable wife. Throw in the hot local handyman, a couple of dangerously bored teenaged girls, the drummer from a punk band, and a mannerless dog. All kinds of trouble ensue. Don't expect any noble characters or heroic actions from this movie; watch it to enjoy the spectacle of people behaving mostly -but not totally -badly, and doing it in a generally clever and funny way.Want Tamara Drewe (2010) Discount?
"Paperback writer (paperback writer)Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?"
-The Beatles
Based on a graphic novel this story plays more like a Greek Tragedy. It does not quit fit into any category. Still you will find yourself intrigued and kibitzing. Oh what a tangled web we weave.
Local girl Tamara (Gemma Arterton) gets a new proboscis and body to match. After making good as a journalist she returns to her hometown and plays havoc with the local men folk. And that is not all that is happing in the town. To name a couple, we have a married writer with a wondering uh...err... eye, and a couple of schoolgirls playing out their fantasies.
Be prepared for some colorful descriptive words and some suggestive scenes. The only poignant scene that sort of puts a damper on the presentation is when a main character (four-legged) is dispatched while having a little fun, even if it is relevant to the plot.
I only watched the Blu-ray version so I cannot compare. However the voice over commentary is worth taking the time to listen to. I also have not read the novel but will have to to be sure I did not miss anything.
The Girl Most Likely To . . .DVD ~ Stockard Channing
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