Our rating:
5 out of 5
Rated: PG
reviewed by Charity Bishop
Some movies are meant to be earth-shattering and
others are simply divine. Enchanted April
is a quiet little film about women and the
assumptions they make, the time alone they need, and
the love they are meant to share with one another
and the men in their lives. It is understated and
wonderful.
The notion of renting an Italian castle strikes the
interest of all who read about it in the
advertisement in the Times. More than
anything, lonely housewife Lottie Wilkins (Josie
Lawrence) wants to take it up, but she cannot afford
it on her own and so she approaches a complete
stranger (but one she has seen in church) and begs
her to go halves. Rose Arbuthnot (Miranda
Richardson) is at first put off by the idea, but
needing time away from the children and a husband
increasingly more fascinated with his work as an
author, she agrees. They rent the castle from its
eccentric owner (Michael Kitchen) and then set about
finding two more women to share it with, so that it
only costs them 15 pounds each. Paired with an
aristocrat tired of "grabbing men" (Polly Walker)
and an older woman mourning the loss of everyone she
once loved (Joan Plowright), the four strangers
share the villa in Italy for a month... and the
magic of the place starts to get to them.
Mrs. Fisher finds that she can actually walk without
her cane. The aristocratic Caroline learns that she
must not judge people on first appearances. Lottie
realizes that she must invite her unlovely husband
(Alfred Molina) in an attempt to repair the "loss of
love between them," and her action prompts Rose to
do the same. What transpires is not profound so much
as it is sweet. It is a movie about women in which
men also play an important role. It has a happy
ending and went in several unexpected directions...
one woman found her youth through the realization
that young, vibrant, and alive friends are much
better company than dead poets, two women repaired
their faltering marriages, and the third discovered
that there are noble men out there interested in
more than just her beauty. I expected almost nothing
of it and was surprised at not only how innocent it
is, but how much I liked it. No, I loved
it. It is so nice to watch something that doesn't
whack you over the head with immorality, language,
or sexual content every few minutes.
There are a few mild content warnings but nothing to
be overly concerned about. One of the husbands (Jim
Broadbent) is considering having an affair and is
pursuing a younger woman. There is some flirtation
there. He also writes rather lewd books that his
wife heartily disapproves of -- we never hear or
read any of it, just that she thinks it is
inappropriate to write anything "God would not
read." Though Rose is a devout woman, shown at
church and in prayer, she entertains the mild
attentions of a man who mistakenly thinks she has
been widowed. There is some discussion over whether
or not it is pleasant to share a room with one's
husband, and a mild innuendo or two. The film is
rated PG for language but I cannot remember
anything, so there may have been one profanity or
two.
Its production design is not astounding but it does
feature some beautiful scenes in Italy of lavish
gardens and ragged cliffs that feed down into
luminous waters. There is also some beautiful
performances from the actors and actresses involved.
I have never been impressed with Polly Walker, but
loved her as Caroline. I assumed wrongly that she
would be a bit of a snob and no fun at all, but she
turned out to be rather sweet. Rose, who is called a
"Madonna" for her solemn aspect, is also deeper than
I expected. But the real gem here is Lottie, who
transforms all of their lives through her
determination to make a difference. It is she that
brings Mrs. Fisher out of her solitude, who
encourages Rose to make up with her husband, who
writes to her own husband and invites him to stay
with her. She is the heart and soul of the film, and
is indeed what makes that particular April so
enchanted.
