Tamara Drewe (film)

Tamara Drewe is a 2010 British romantic comedy film directed by Stephen Frears. The screenplay was written by Moira Buffini, based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name (which was then re-published as a graphic novel) written by Posy Simmonds. The comic strip which serves as source material was a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel Far from the Madding Crowd.

Tamara Drewe
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Frears
Produced byAlison Owen
Tracey Seaward
Paul Trijbits
Screenplay byMoira Buffini
Based onTamara Drewe
by Posy Simmonds
Starring
Music byAlexandre Desplat
CinematographyBen Davis
Edited byMick Audsley
Production
company
Ruby Films
BBC Films
WestEnd Films
Distributed byMomentum Pictures
Release date
  • 18 May 2010 (2010-05-18) (Cannes)
  • 20 September 2010 (2010-09-20) (United Kingdom)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£6–8 million[1]
Box officeUS$12 million[2]

The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in May and was released nationwide in France on 14 July 2010.[3][4] Momentum Pictures released the film in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2010.[5]

Plot

Set in Ewedown, a fictitious village in Dorset, England. Tamara Drewe, a young and attractive journalist, returns home after living in London, with the intention of selling her now-deceased mother's house which she has inherited, and in which she grew up. Locals are amazed at the improvement in her appearance after she had rhinoplasty while away. Andy had been interested in her when she was a girl, and when he sees her now it is clear he is attracted to her.

Across the valley is a neighbour's home where authors retreat to work on their stories. The owner, Nicholas, is a prolific crime novelist and a serial philanderer, while his wife Beth provides food, lodging, and encouragement for her patrons. At one point Nicholas embarks on an affair with Tamara, after she finishes with rock-band drummer Ben. Andy has been asked by Tamara to work on the house so she can sell it, and he becomes aware of the affair, as do two local teenage schoolgirls (Jody and Casey) who cause some havoc due to their childish jealousy of Tamara.

Jody is infatuated with Ben & distraught she won't see him again, because he left Ewedown after he & Tamara split up. So Jody uses her wiles to lure him back. Eventually her deceit is discovered and she receives a hard dose of reality. In a strange turn of events, Nicholas is accidentally killed by stampeding cows. Beth's friend (Glen), a Thomas Hardy scholar who had become infatuated with her over the months he spent there, reveals his love for her despite feeling guilty about Nicholas' demise, and she easily persuades him to remain at the retreat with her. By this time the true love of Andy and Tamara brings them together. Tamara then decides to stay in Ewedown after all.

Cast

Premiere

The premiere was held on 6 September 2010 at the Odeon Leicester Square. Most of the cast and crew were in attendance as well as Jack Gregson, Lily Allen and Stephen Fry. The public premiere was also held on 6 September 2010 at the National Film Theatre. Most of the cast were in attendance as well as director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Moira Buffini, and book author Posy Simmonds. The film's showing received long applause and was followed by questions to the stars from the audience.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $11,910,695.[2]

Critical response

As of June 2020, the film holds a 64% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 125 reviews with an average rating of 6.27 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A robust comedic cast and Stephen Frears' gift for satire elevate Tamara Drewe's slight scenario into a tart treat."[6] Metacritic gave it a score of 64 out of 100 based on reviews from 28 critics, indicating 'generally favourable reviews'.[7]

Empire gave four stars out of five stating the film was "Very intelligently funny, with stellar performances."[8] Lisa Mullen wrote in Sight & Sound in September 2010:

Turning graphic novels into films can be a tricky business...an impressively limpid, compressed and visually textured piece... here the romantic themes—concerning sensible spouse choice... are undercut by a bawdy appreciation of chaos, mischief and mayhem... Beth Hardiment played with great subtlety and a kind of concentrated stillness by Tamsin Greig...

Accolades
Year Award/Festival Category Nominee Result
2010
 63rd Cannes Film Festival Palm Dog Award
Boss
 Won
7th Seville European Film Festival Audience Award
Stephen Frears
 Won
13th British Independent Film Awards Best Supporting Actress
Tamsin Greig
 Nominated
2011
 38th Evening Standard British Film Awards Peter Sellers Award for Comedy
Roger Allam
 Won
31st London Film Critics Circle Awards Young British Performer of the Year
Jessica Barden
 Nominated
8th Irish Film & Television Awards Best Costume Design
Consolata Boyle
 Nominated

References
  1. Miller, Rob (27 September 2011). "Tamara Drewe Case Study (2010)". Edusites Media Studies Teaching & Learning Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. "Tamara Drewe (2010)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  3. Higgins, Charlotte (17 May 2010). "Tamara Drewe comic strip charms Cannes in film form". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved on 31 May 2010.
  4. Tamara Drewe. premiere.fr. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  5. https://www.radiotimes.com/film/khp6dr/tamara-drewe/
  6. "Tamara Drewe (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  7. "Tamara Drewe Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  8. "Empire's Tamara Drewe Movie Review". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
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