Based on Posy Simmonds' beloved graphic novel of the same name (which was itself inspired by Thomas Hardy's classic Far From the Madding Crowd), this wittily modern take on the romantic English pastorale is a far cry from Hardy's Wessex. Tamara Drewe's present-day English countryside-stocked with pompous writers, rich weekenders, bourgeois bohemians, a horny rock star, and a great many Buff Orpington chickens and Belted Galloway cows-is a much funnier place. When Tamara Drewe sashays back to the bucolic village of her youth, life for the locals is thrown tail over teakettle. Tamara-once an ugly duckling-has been transformed into a devastating beauty (with help from plastic surgery). As infatuations, jealousies, love affairs and career ambitions collide among the inhabitants of the neighboring farmsteads, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play using the oldest magic in the book-sex appeal.

MOVIE REVIEW

Review by Nathan Samdahl (C+)

Tamara Drewe, the new film by director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Mrs. Henderson Presents) is a quaint, quirky, comical entry that delivers a few laughs and an odd cast of characters but struggles to focus on a consistent narrative.  Set in the British countryside, the film follows a couple, Beth and Nicholas, who run a retreat for writers.  While Beth tries to maintain a welcoming presence for her guests, she must constantly deal with her philandering husband, who is also a pompous mid-level fiction writer.  Just as their relationship is reaching a boiling point, in comes Tamara Drewe, a former resident of the town, who of course is gorgeous and brings forth lusty tendencies from most of the men in the story. 
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