An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Beryl Bainbridge (novel)
Charles Wood (writer)

Release Date:

21 July 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In a world of make believe Stella is about to discover the difference between true love... and real life.

Plot:

In Liverpool in 1947, a theatre company is planning to produce a series of plays. Sixteen year old Stella...

Plot Keywords:

Director | Teenage Girl | Actor's Life | 1940s | Virgin

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Alan Rickman	...	P.L. O'Hara
Hugh Grant	...	Meredith Potter
Georgina Cates	...	Stella
Alun Armstrong	...	Uncle Vernon
Peter Firth	...	Bunny
Prunella Scales	...	Rose
Rita Tushingham	...	Aunt Lily
Alan Cox	...	Geoffrey
Edward Petherbridge	...	St. Ives
Nicola Pagett	...	Dotty Blundell
Carol Drinkwater	...	Dawn Allenby
Clive Merrison	...	Desmond Fairchild
Gerard McSorley	...	George
Ruth McCabe	...	Grace Bird
James Frain	...	John Harbour

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality and some language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 (bw) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bewley's Oriental Cafe - 78-79 Grafton Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Georgina Cates had unsuccessfully auditioned for the part of Stella under her real name of Clare Woodgate. Frustrated, she dyed her hair, reinvented herself as a 16-year-old Liverpool girl called "Georgina Cates", and landed the role.

Goofs:

Continuity: Stella's coat as her uncle leaves the bathroom.

Quotes:

P.L. O'Hara: There were times when I was close to death, and each time I thought "I have a son, and it will not be the end of me." But it is. I may not face it as well as I faced death...

Don't expect it to be cute

The likely reason people don't like this film is because it was released by Miramax who are infamous for mis-marketing their tough sell pictures ("Muriel's Wedding" was a feel good, laugh a minute romantic comedy? "Captives" was a thriller!). This movie isn't a sweet coming of age story. It's a devastating account of a young woman's loss of innocence in a cruel world.

I tend to really like the movies most people find too depressing. Like the ancient Greeks I find human tragedy the greatest form of emotional catharsis. If you are the same way I recommend this film highly.