Susan Granger’s review of “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont” (Cineville/Picture Ent.)
This humorous, bittersweet drama chronicles the unexpected and life-changing relationship between a woman in her twilight years and a sensitive, aspiring artist on the brink of discovery.
When elegant, recently widowed Mrs. Palfrey (Joan Plowright) arrives at London’s Claremont Hotel, she discovers that the atmosphere is dreary, the retired residents are gossipy and the service is depressingly dismal. Nevertheless, she strikes up an acquaintance with the other boarders (Anna Massey, Millicent Martin, Robert Lang) who are appropriately described as refugees from a Terence Rattigan play. But Mrs. Palfrey’s life changes when she trips on the sidewalk and a courteous young writer/musician, Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend), dashes to her side. In gratitude, she invites him to dinner at the Claremont, where everyone assumes he’s her grandson, an amusing charade she not only encourages but depends on since she’s seemingly alienated from her daughter and real grandson. A nurturing, poignant friendship blossoms.
Based on a story by the late British novelist Elizabeth Taylor (no relation to the American movie star) and lushly adapted by Ruth Sacks, it’s deftly directed by Dan Ireland (“The Whole Wide World”) who understands the loneliness of aging. A subtle touch is having Mrs. Palfrey appear in the same hat that Celia Johnson wore in her first scene in “Brief Encounter” (1945), one of the pivotal points of reference. Yet it’s glorious, 75 year-old Joan Plowright a.k.a. Lady Olivier (“Enchanted April”) who propels the picture, and she’s matched by Rupert Friend (“Pride and Prejudice”). On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont” is a compassionate, charming 8, proving that family can be found when you least expect it.
