A darkly comic tale of a homicidal eccentric who becomes (for reasons eventually revealed) a very protective housekeeper for a rural English vicar and his family, Keeping Mum is a sporadically amusing attempt to recapture the glory days of the famous British Ealing comedies of the 1950s, which often mixed the macabre and the mirthful to excellent effect (e.g., The Ladykillers). Directed by Niall Johnson, and co-scripted by novelist Richard Russo (Nobody's Fool), the film also boasts an able cast—with Maggie Smith as the housekeeper Grace, Rowan Atkinson as the ineffectual clergyman Reverend Goodfellow, Kristin Scott Thomas as his wife Gloria, and Patrick Swayze as Lance, the American golf pro on the verge of an affair with Gloria—but the picture never really takes off. Grace's aggressive behavior against the family's tormentors (neighborhood bullies, yapping dogs, etc.) is more often unpleasant than funny, while the slapstick failures of Gloria and Lance to consummate their relationship fall completely flat. Of course, there is the English country setting, lovingly photographed, but one is still left longing for something inspired to happen. This Mum is, unhappily, not a keeper. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Niall Johnson, 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary (11 min.), six minutes of outtakes and bloopers, an extended scene (3 min.), an alternate opening with optional commentary (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)
Keeping Mum
ThinkFilm, 104 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Feb. 20 Volume 22, Issue 1
Keeping Mum
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