This Beautiful Fantastic
| This Beautiful Fantastic | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Simon Aboud |
| Written by | Simon Aboud |
| Starring | Jessica Brown Findlay Tom Wilkinson Andrew Scott Jeremy Irvine Anna Chancellor Eileen Davies Sheila Hancock |
| Cinematography | Mike Eley |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
This Beautiful Fantastic is a 2016 British romantic drama film directed and written by Simon Aboud and starring Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Wilkinson, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Irvine, Anna Chancellor, Eileen Davies and Sheila Hancock.
Plot
Bella Brown is a quirky girl with a unique past who works in a library while trying to write a children’s book. She also hates plants, but as a condition of the lease on her house, she must maintain the garden. Her landlord becomes aware of her neglecting the garden and gives her one-month to fix the landscaping or face eviction. Along the way, she develops relationships with her curmudgeonly neighbour, his cook/housekeeper, and an inventor who frequents the library.
Cast
- Jessica Brown Findlay as Bella Brown[2]
- Tom Wilkinson as Alfie Stephenson[2]
- Andrew Scott as Vernon[2]
- Jeremy Irvine as Billy[2]
- Anna Chancellor as Bramble[2]
- Eileen Davies as Milly
- Sienna Pinnock as school child
Production
Principal photography on the film began in London in July 2015.[2][3]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 19 reviews, and an average rating of 6.3/10.[4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]
Middling reviews from critics used the term “twee”[6][7][8] with comparisons to Amélie.[6][7] Negative reviews focused on having too many distracting questions, such as why Bella doesn’t just hire a gardener for a few days,[6] and also the film’s quirky depiction of mental illness.[6][7] Some reviews focused on personal taste, with Dennis Harvey calling the film a “formulaic crowd-pleaser”,[7] essentially stating that audiences will either find the film sweet or too sweet.[7][8] However, on the more positive side, Sheri Linden calls the film “Sweet but not saccharine”,[9] and Neil Genzlinger writes “enjoyable performances keep the tale from becoming too heavy-handed.”[10]
References
- ^ "This Beautiful Fantastic". Samuel Goldwyn Films.
- ^ a b c d e f Jaafar, Ali (13 July 2015). "Simon Aboud's 'This Beautiful Fantastic' Adds Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Wilkinson & Others". deadline.com. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (13 July 2015). "'Downton Abbey's' Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Wilkinson Join 'This Beautiful Fantastic'". variety.com. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "This Beautiful Fantastic (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ "This Beautiful Fantastic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d O'Malley, Sheila (10 March 2017). "This Beautiful Fantastic". RogerEbert.com.
- ^ a b c d e Harvey, Dennis (18 January 2017). "Film Review: 'This Beautiful Fantastic'". Variety.
- ^ a b O'Sullivan, Michael (16 March 2017). "'This Beautiful Fantastic': English eccentrics looking for love". Washington Post.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (21 February 2017). "'This Beautiful Fantastic': Film Review Palm Springs 2017". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (9 March 2017). "Review: In 'This Beautiful Fantastic,' a Gardener Blooms". NY Times.