This tale of a young boy adopted by his artsy, eccentric aunt is terrifically entertaining but a little slack for parts of the first hour. At times it feels more like a series of amusing anecdotes than a real story, which may be while I most enjoyed the final part of the movie, which felt more cohesive, and was also notable for terrific small performances by Peggy Cass as the hapless Agnes Gooch and Pippa Scott as an odious socialite.
This is not to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the movie, but I wish it had all been as good as that final party.
I also wish the character of Patrick had been more developed. He is essentially a prop, an impossibly polite and untraumatized (considering his father dies at the film's start) young boy who grows into a young man who conveniently and instantly changes his mind on a major matter after one incident. But overall I enjoyed this.
This is not to say I didn't enjoy the rest of the movie, but I wish it had all been as good as that final party.
I also wish the character of Patrick had been more developed. He is essentially a prop, an impossibly polite and untraumatized (considering his father dies at the film's start) young boy who grows into a young man who conveniently and instantly changes his mind on a major matter after one incident. But overall I enjoyed this.