The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (film)

In July 2010, producer Paula Mazur announced that a script based on the 2008 novel of the same name, written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, had been picked up by Fox 2000 Pictures. Despite a lack of financial incentives, Mazur said that she wanted the adaptation to be filmed on the titular island of Guernsey, stating "It's all a matter of economics and what looks right, but I can't imagine not filming in Guernsey."[3] Several actresses were mentioned as potential cast members, including Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. On 4 August 2011, it was announced that Kenneth Branagh was set to direct the film, with filming aimed to commence in March 2012.[4]

In January 2012 Winslet agreed to portray the lead role of Juliet Ashton.[5] However, in April 2012, the film was delayed for another year due to scheduling conflicts.[6] In February 2013, Winslet dropped out of the project, as did Branagh.[7] In April 2013 Michelle Dockery was offered the lead role; she later declined. In February 2016 Mike Newell was announced to direct the film, with Rosamund Pike "circling" the lead role.[8] StudioCanal would finance and distribute the film.[8] Eventually, in October 2016, Lily James was confirmed to star as Juliet.[9] In March 2017 Michiel Huisman and Glen Powell signed for the roles of Dawsey Adams and Mark Reynolds, respectively.[10] The film entered pre-production in January 2017, with filming set to commence in spring.[11]

Principal photography began in March 2017 in North Devon.[12] The port and village of Clovelly in North Devon represented Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, and many other locations in the same area were used for outdoor shots representing Guernsey as imagined in 1946.[13] Exterior shots were filmed at Princes Wharf, Bristol, to represent Weymouth Docks in 1946.[14] For the London portion of the shoot, photography took place on Sicilian Avenue in London. Scenes were also shot at the House of Detention in Sans Walk, Clerkenwell and in the foyer of Senate House, London.[15] Studio work was completed at Ealing Studios.[16] Filming wrapped in May 2017, with the first official images of the film released that month.[17]

Lily James was praised for her lead performance as Juliet Ashton.

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81%, based on 59 reviews, and an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Far more traditional and straightforward than its unwieldy title, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society offers delightful comfort food for fans of period drama."[19] Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

Harry Windsor of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, in particular praising Lily James and the film's modern tone saying, "Buoyed by a reliably appealing star turn from James, this handsome tearjerker mostly sidesteps the tweeness of its title to become, somehow, both an old-fashioned romance and a detective story trumpeting gender equality."[21] Trevor Johnston of Radio Times awarded the film three out of five stars, calling it "moderately engrossing". He praised the "likeable" performances, in particular that of Penelope Wilton.[22] Geoffrey McNab of The Independent also awarded three stars out of five, calling the film a "jaunty and good-natured affair". He concluded that "The result is a film that, while perfectly enjoyable on its own terms, becomes every bit as cosy, nostalgic and superficial as the title suggests it is going to be."[23] Kevin Maher of The Times gave a very negative review, awarding one star. He called it "an inept and disingenuous froth-fest" and criticised the lack of chemistry between James and Michiel Huisman. Guy Lodge of Variety also gave a negative review, criticising the mystery plot as "neither particularly intriguing nor, as the rather straightforward investigation unfolds, terribly surprising".[24] Olly Richards of Empire awarded three stars out of five, calling it "A well told, beautifully acted drama that offers nothing new but a comforting level of familiarity and cosiness." and noticing the film's "gentle" tone.[25]

Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph praised the film as an "irresistible romantic mystery" and awarding four stars out of five. He also commended Newell's ensemble cast, particularly Katherine Parkinson, saying, "he gives each of his cast members just enough room to stretch: a broad gag here, a hushed monologue there, and in Parkinson’s case both at once."[26] Anna Smith of Metro also gave the film four stars and praised the performances from Tom Courtenay and Parkinson as "classy". However, she considered the subplots too "clustered" and said that the film's two-hour runtime was too long.[27] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awarded the film two out of five stars, calling it "naive" and "a glutinous 40s-period exercise in British rom-dram solemnity".[28] Wendy Ide of The Observer also gave two stars, saying "even fans of the source novel ... might struggle with this photogenic but laboured adaptation." She also called the casting "hit-and-miss" and said that "the plodding storytelling relies on large chunks of exposition".[29] Paul Whitington of The Irish Independent was more positive, awarding three stars; he considered the film to be a "gentle, meandering drama".[30] David Bradley of The Adelaide Review gave a lukewarm review, awarding a score of 6 out of 10. He favourably compared it to a "Downton Abbey reunion" and praised James, saying, "she presents a luminous image of sheer British niceness that unfortunately never quite existed."[31]