Tea with the Dames (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Tea with the Dames' is a wonderful little documentary directed by Roger Michell in which 4 of England's most accomplished actresses -- Dames Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright & Dame Eileen Atkins -- meet for a weekend at a quaint countryside cottage to reminisce on their lives, friendships, ups, downs, & performances through the decades. They share insights into life in the theater, including pressures to be attractive, dealing with intimidating male colleagues {such as Joan's husband, none other than Sir Laurence Olivier}, & fun, gossipy tidbits about other actors and their life in show biz. They also discuss all the difficulties that come with aging, working with husbands, & a plethora of other matters.
Maggie Smith's career highlights include tons of TV work in Britain (Downton Abbey), excelling on the stage, & warming our hearts in such films as The Harry Potter series, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel & Gosford Park -- the list goes ever on. Judi Dench has similarly wowed us in her own TV work over the decades, excelling on stage, & entertaining us in such hits as Shakespeare in Love, Mrs. Brown, Notes on a Scandal, the James Bond series & countless other treasures. Eileen Atkins is one of those actresses who you know you've seen before, but can't put a finger on where you've seen her; she, too, excels on stage, small & big screen. And Joan Plowright - that's Mrs. Laurence Olivier to you - is a titan from the stage world; also lending her craft to TV and film, i.e., her Oscar nominated role in Enchanted April. All of these women are celebrated with innumerable Oscars, Tonys, Emmys & BAFTAs.
This doc is everything the title suggests: a group of respected older women (all aged 84, save Joan Plowright, who is 89) having conversation over tea ... & a little champagne. There aren't any profound insights or shocking untold stories, but the witty anecdotes & tales they DO tell - mostly about memories of classic actors, unfair directors, harsh critics and such - are lovely, humorous & often thought-provoking. Loved hearing the dames poke fun at Judi for nabbing plum roles, or hearing how Maggie can't abide her worldwide fame as the Dowager Countess. We also get some very naturalistic moments where one of them needs their hearing aid turned up, or even when lengthy conversations finally run dry; if crickets were around, we'd hear them chirp, in spots. That might sound strange, and yet, because we love these women & have been eager to hear everything they say and laugh about amongst each other, we forgive them those very real moments.
Now, there are spurts of candid, irreverent conversation that may be too 'inside baseball' for some viewers; where they mention friends by 1st names only, quote miscellaneous dialogues from plays {Judi Dench may be losing her eyesight, but she has SOME memory}, or allude to situations that we might be unfamiliar with. Then again, why are you even watching this doc if you don't already love these fantastic women at its centerpiece, anyway? For fans like me, it's simply a wonderful way to sit back with a cup of tea, curl up on your sofa with a blanket, & soak up 88 witty, endearing, poignant minutes with these warm, sharp, funny, iconic Grand Dames of the stage & screen as they yak it up in the countryside.
Maggie Smith's career highlights include tons of TV work in Britain (Downton Abbey), excelling on the stage, & warming our hearts in such films as The Harry Potter series, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel & Gosford Park -- the list goes ever on. Judi Dench has similarly wowed us in her own TV work over the decades, excelling on stage, & entertaining us in such hits as Shakespeare in Love, Mrs. Brown, Notes on a Scandal, the James Bond series & countless other treasures. Eileen Atkins is one of those actresses who you know you've seen before, but can't put a finger on where you've seen her; she, too, excels on stage, small & big screen. And Joan Plowright - that's Mrs. Laurence Olivier to you - is a titan from the stage world; also lending her craft to TV and film, i.e., her Oscar nominated role in Enchanted April. All of these women are celebrated with innumerable Oscars, Tonys, Emmys & BAFTAs.
This doc is everything the title suggests: a group of respected older women (all aged 84, save Joan Plowright, who is 89) having conversation over tea ... & a little champagne. There aren't any profound insights or shocking untold stories, but the witty anecdotes & tales they DO tell - mostly about memories of classic actors, unfair directors, harsh critics and such - are lovely, humorous & often thought-provoking. Loved hearing the dames poke fun at Judi for nabbing plum roles, or hearing how Maggie can't abide her worldwide fame as the Dowager Countess. We also get some very naturalistic moments where one of them needs their hearing aid turned up, or even when lengthy conversations finally run dry; if crickets were around, we'd hear them chirp, in spots. That might sound strange, and yet, because we love these women & have been eager to hear everything they say and laugh about amongst each other, we forgive them those very real moments.
Now, there are spurts of candid, irreverent conversation that may be too 'inside baseball' for some viewers; where they mention friends by 1st names only, quote miscellaneous dialogues from plays {Judi Dench may be losing her eyesight, but she has SOME memory}, or allude to situations that we might be unfamiliar with. Then again, why are you even watching this doc if you don't already love these fantastic women at its centerpiece, anyway? For fans like me, it's simply a wonderful way to sit back with a cup of tea, curl up on your sofa with a blanket, & soak up 88 witty, endearing, poignant minutes with these warm, sharp, funny, iconic Grand Dames of the stage & screen as they yak it up in the countryside.