Review of 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'

guernsey_literary_and_potato_peel_pie_society.jpg Following the horrors of the second world war successful author Juliet Ashton (Lily James) becomes enthralled by the story of a group of people from Guernsey who formed the “Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” during the war to support each other during the German occupation of the island. Determined to learn the full story she travels to the island despite the protestations of her publisher and learns the story perhaps is not as simple as it might first appear…

A charming though ultimately disappointing story of Nazi-occupied Guernsey where a group of people to form a book club to avoid the wrath of the soldiers who leave them to their own, subversive, devices which generally seems to be dining on pork. There is, of course, more to the story that I will not spoil for the reader that we discover as time goes on but, needless to say, it is a story of love and struggle though perhaps not as much drama as the circumstances might suggest. The film has a bit of mild violence but otherwise the drama is low key with an obvious ending that somehow manages to disappoint after the initial premise's promise. The performances of the cast cannot be faulted as they throw themselves into their roles and the secrets the character's hold. It seems to be a disappointing script that ultimately fails to deliver. A calm, mild, perhaps almost comatose film that could have been so much more.

Rating: “It is OK but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2021-01-16


Directed by: Mike Newell

Studio: Amazon Prime Video

Year: 2018

Length: 124 minutes

Genre: Melodrama

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289403/


Other reviewed films by Mike Newell: