Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

broadrk Very few scenes were ones reported in the diary but Wood's film conveyed its substance very well indeed. Beautifully handled, for example, was Nella's naive inability to recognise Cliff's homosexuality. But I thought her 'Nella' was too passive. You can see the film's nervy, pensive introvert in her intimate writing but her diaries also make it clear that she could be feisty and would have come across to others as able and assured. Nella herself contrasts 'the quiet, brooding woman who, when alone, draws the quiet around her like a healing cloak and the gay lively woman who 'keeps all going'''.

secondtake Housewife, 49 (2006)The idea here is to make the fear of German bombardment in London during WWII as real as possible. And the focus is an extremely ordinary family--in particular the woman of the house, but also her low-key husband and two clever and fighting age boys.The best of it is really amazing at recreating the feel and look and fear of the times. The character actors are wonderful, even if they must be a bit exaggerated. The slang and whatnot is a total joy, even if at times there is a feeling of pushing that too hard.There is a deflating feeling that all this possibility and gorgeous period set-building is supported by a somewhat flat plot. It's not that the bombing and the deaths are a bit unimportant, but rather it is laid out with a kind of plainness that should have been compelling but in fact ends up being just plain. The writing makes sense--perhaps it's some combination of acting and camera-work that lets it all just happen too often.The music, I have to say, is horrible, a kind of television soundtrack that is out of place, almost patched in by a hack studio orchestra that hadn't even quite seen the film. It's surprising how much this alters the feel to it all.The leading woman, the housewife in the title, is a sympathetic character and, and the actress is compelling. She is a woman caught between all kinds of pressures, family and civic duties all around (and without always appreciation). And this pushes her to her mental limits (even seeing a doctor about it). The demands on the part, on the actress, are a bit too much for this production, and for this actress, Victoria Wood. The final outcome and maybe the larger point of the movie is something more than civilian life in wartime. It's about futility and sadness and perseverance. You might find the last scene comforting for its notion of quiet survival, or depressing for its lack of joy.

Steve Skafte "Housewife, 49" is a remarkable film in how it captures a picture of life that commonly goes unseen. Victoria Wood, the star of the film, is quite good. She offers a performance that's very easy to get into, full of emotional complexity and human depth. I was quite impressed by David Threlfall, who plays Wood's husband here. He convincingly captures a certain generation and personality of man that you don't often see on film. Not abusive or offensive, but emotionally distance and overly self-controlled. Stephanie Cole is good, but she isn't given much to work with here. The script tends to wander a bit too much at times. The entire subplot revolving around people reading the letters seems tacked-on and ultimately unnecessary.I'm glad I saw this. It offers up a close human insight. The TV movie format holds things down a bit, but the best is made of it. "Housewife, 49" is a good film.

Neil Turner Victoria Wood is a famous British comic actress who has surely shown that she also has a superior for drama - both writing and acting - in this excellent made for television film based upon a real person. During World War II in England, housewife, Nella Last's experiences were recorded by the Mass-Observation organization founded in 1937 to record the daily experiences of British citizens for social research.The film starts with Nella as being almost complete frustrated with her role as housewife. She is a middle-aged woman who has devoted her entire self to the care of her husband and their two sons. The war has just started, and her sons are leaving to serve in duties other than combat.Nella's only connection with anything creative is her younger son. He is the one who encourages his mother to go beyond the confines of the house in order to seek fulfillment. Nella begins to blossom when she volunteers for the Women's Voluntary Service and starts to submit her observances of daily occurrences to Mass-Observation.Over the objections of her husband - a joiner - Nella volunteers for the WVS. There she must face the insults of the women in charge for she is merely the wife of a laborer whereas they are wives of members of higher classes. With spunk and wit, Nella forges ahead and becomes an invaluable member of the organization.At home, Nella receives almost no support from her husband - a man not able to express emotion. Because of this weakness, he appears to be somewhat of a villain, but there are a few touching scenes in the screenplay where the viewer is able to see past his hard surface to a man who genuinely loves his wife.Nella's son, Cliff, may be the most complex character in the film. Clifford Last who eventually entered battle was wounded and after the war, moved to Australia where he became a well-known sculptor.This is a fine film that gives insight into the lives of women of Nella's generation and invites the viewer into an "everyday family" that is certainly far from that.