Sandra, Lady Abbott (Imelda Staunton), is looking forward to life with her newly-retired police chief husband Mike (John Sessions, for no good reason doing one of his 'amusing' accents, this time Welsh) when she discovers said hubby has been having an affair for five years. Her dreams shattered, she leaves him and goes to live with her Bohemian sister Bif (Celia Imrie) on a grotty council estate in London. As she begins to adjust to her new circumstances and to face the rest of her life, Sandra gets drawn into Bif's circle of dancing class friends, including Jackie (Joanna Lumley - with grey hair!) and Charlie (Timothy Spall), who has a tragic secret of his own.
This is not high art, and certainly not original: all the plotlines have been well-used in various other films, plays, television shows, books... Nor is it always well-plotted: the manner in which the dancers win their trip to Rome is pretty unbelievable. But it is the kind of low-budget, feel-good, entertaining film that the UK does rather well, with hordes of British thesps competently performing in roles that do not really stretch them (although personally I would have preferred Lumley to be given more to do). Filmsnobs will not enjoy it; those who wish to be gently entertained will. It delivers chuckles, not belly-laughs. (And - who knew - Timothy Spall is a credible romantic hero! Honestly, by the end of the film I was ready to run off with him myself...)
This is not high art, and certainly not original: all the plotlines have been well-used in various other films, plays, television shows, books... Nor is it always well-plotted: the manner in which the dancers win their trip to Rome is pretty unbelievable. But it is the kind of low-budget, feel-good, entertaining film that the UK does rather well, with hordes of British thesps competently performing in roles that do not really stretch them (although personally I would have preferred Lumley to be given more to do). Filmsnobs will not enjoy it; those who wish to be gently entertained will. It delivers chuckles, not belly-laughs. (And - who knew - Timothy Spall is a credible romantic hero! Honestly, by the end of the film I was ready to run off with him myself...)