Directed by Eliza Schroeder (The Gigolo: Origins) and starring Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; Bridget Jones; Calendar Girls; Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again; St. Trinian's; Nanny McPhee), Shannon Tarbet (Beast; Colette; Killing Eve (tv series)), Shelley Conn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Nina's Heavenly Delights; How Do You Know; Malevolent) and Rupert Penry-Jones (Match Point; Silk (TV series); Whitechapel (TV series); The Drowning (TV series); Spooks (TV series)).
Comedy drama; 97 mins; children admitted
A delightful British family drama - more emphasis on the drama than the comedy - set in Notting Hill.
Following a tragic accident in which Sarah died, her best friend Isabella (Shelley Conn), with whom she was planning to open a café / tea shop, together with Sarah's daughter Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet) and Sarah's mother Mimi (Celia Imrie) decide to work together to open and run the project.
They engage Rupert Penry-Jones (Matthew) - who had trained with Sarah and Isabella in Paris and who now works at a 2-star Michelin restaurant - at the chef who comes up with a number of mouth-wateringly delicious cakes. With business slow off the mark, they notice that their clientele could include the diverse make-up of London's population.
Set in Notting Hill, London, the film mainly comprises interior shots, but there are some of the city itself, including both main streets and side roads which add to the character of the setting. On the characters themselves, it is a relatively small cast but it does include a number of interesting characters that help build the sub-plots which add structure to the overall storyline. The characters are WYSIWYG - "what you see is what you get" - and there are no surprises in the backstories which come to life as the story unfolds; but there are a number of interesting scenes which would not be out of place if they happened in Luxembourg based on its cosmopolitan mix of residents.
Like the confectionery in the tea shop, it is very sweet indeed - perfect as an antidote to the monotony of COVID-19 lockdown and other restrictions.
Currently screening at Ciné Utopia, Kinepolis-Kirchberg, Kinepolis-Belval, Ciné Prabbeli, Ciné Starlight, Ciné Le Paris, Kulturhuef Kino.
