Mrs Henderson Presents

Now now, what would you expect from a movie that starts off with a solemn British upper-class funeral with a very sombre Judi Dench crying on a boat in the middle of a lake? A long depressing hour plus journey through the rest of the film?

How wrong I was! From the moment Madam Dench parted her 'upper-crass' lips, the show was a totally enjoyable ride. How witty the dialogue! How endearing the squabbles! How enchanting the story!

Judi Dench stars as an ultra-rich English widow who has just inherited her dead husband's massive fortune. She passes by a run-down theatre called the Windmill and decides to buy and rebuild it in hope that it'll fill the boredom and loneliness in her life. Bob Hoskins co-stars as the theatre manager whom she hires to run the Windmill, and acts as the perfect foil to the feisty lady of the show. The chemistry is amazing between the actors and their conversations so natural that it is hard to believe that they are actually working on a script. Another actress who left an impression is Kelly Reilly who I personally feel is a splitting image to Julie Delpy. Her somewhat convincing performance as a tenacious young star however, inevitably falls short of the commanding presences from the leads.

Come to think of it, there is only one commanding presence in the film, which makes it easy to understand why Judi Dench is once again nominated for the Oscars. She switches from cheeky sarcasm to dead seriousness with ridiculous ease, which makes it such fun watching her strut her stuff onscreen. As Mrs Henderson, she doesn't just own the theatre but the entire movie as well, so overpowering her presence that the pace drops significantly everytime she is not in the frame.

Without giving too much of the story away, you can expect to hear plenty of good songs (the show's a part-musical), indulge in excellent dialogue, and witness many 'insightful' moments (alright alright, there are many naked ladies on stage). Lovely story, great acting, bright lights, nice music, eye-popping assets, free movie tickets... what more can I ask for?