Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

zee A lonely pair of people, one in her 70's, one in his 20's, find each other in London and become a makeshift family far better than their "real" families.It's a bit cloying and sometimes unrealistic--for instance, how someone who looks like Rupert Friend could possibly be without a girlfriend for so long as a day beggars belief, and we're supposed to believe that he has a hard time finding one. And London is awfully safe and clean, here. The hotel is, I think, supposed to be a bit seedy (at least dialog suggests so) but what is on film is glistening. That the writer sometimes has VO narration is odd--it comes so infrequently, it feels like a mistake when it arrives. And it all moves verrry. slowwww. ly.But if you like these sorts of meandering feel-good stories, without any edge whatsoever, it is well enough done. The acting is good. There aren't many good roles for older women, and this has several. Rupert Friend is gorgeous and charming, and the scene where he sings "We May Never Meet Again" to her is a moving emotional climax and worth waiting through the slower points before (though if you're a of a certain mindset about music, you may not like the jazz spin he puts on it.) Her date with the older fellow is quite funny, too, and puts some interest into a sluggish part of the film.

sergepesic Old age these days seems like a curse. The scientists are trying to extend the longevity of life, but we don't know what to do with old people. They remind us of passage and ravages of time. Wrinkles on one's face are not inviting respect but shame and panic. This lovely little movie tells a common story. After losing a husband Sarah Palfray finds that her daughter and grandson don't have the time and interest to pay her a visit. She slowly starts to build her new life. Dame Joan Plowright plays her with warmth and sense of humor, avoiding cheap sentimentality. Young Rupert Friend is more than just a pretty face, we'll see much more of him in future. And, of course the gems of almost every British movie, marvelous character actors like Anna Massey and Georgina Hale. Telling a story is a dying art. Fortunately not everybody gave up on it.

j_hutton I watched this movie simply because Joan Plowright was the lead. I actually had no idea what the movie was about. I was enthralled immediately, especially when I saw the cast surrounding Ms. Plowright. All seasoned and wonderful actors that helped make this movie more than a bit of fluff. This will probably not appeal to Action/Adventure addicts or most men, but it was a wonderful little movie. The friendship and love that develop between Mrs. Palfry and Ludo is believable because both people needed each other at that time. I know that young men can be that kind and caring. While in London a week ago I had taken the underground to Gloucester Rd. from Heathrow. My friend and I both had 50 lb. suitcases with us and we are both women over 60. As we turned the corner and saw the steps we had to climb to reach the street, a young man of around 25 was on his way down. He saw us struggling, picked up our suitcases, one in each hand and carried them up both flights of stairs!! We tried to pay him and all he said was, "Just enjoy the rest of your visit to London ladies". So there really are young, handsome men that don't knock you over in their haste to get somewhere. The young man in the movie went to Mrs. Palfry's aid in almost the same fashion.This movie is definitely sentimental, but not in a cloying, unctuous way. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

fwomp You know when a director with the last name of Ireland does a film about a Scottish lady coming to London that there's got to be some major appeal.Independent film lovers will cheer for MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT, a story with a strong script, excellent acting, and some sumptuous English scenery.Joan Plowright (JANE EYRE, 1996) stars as Mrs. Palfrey, an aging widow who's traveled from Scotland to London to start her life anew in her sunset years. She decides to spend her waning years at a retirement hotel called The Claremont, a somewhat drab locale from what was advertised to Mrs. Claremont in a picture magazine. No matter. She makes herself comfortable, running into The Claremont's quirky staff and residents. The bellhop is a portly and sonorous balding man who mumbles more than he speaks. And the residents range from overly-nosy to irritatingly grumpy. But most want to know why Mrs. Palfrey's grandson, Desmond, (whom she calls all the time) doesn't come to see her.One potentially rainy day, Mrs. Palfrey is returning from an outdoor excursion, hurrying home, when she stumbles and falls outside a young man's flat. The 26-year-old man's odd name is Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, 2005). Ludy (as he likes to be called) helps Mrs. Palfrey and in return asks that she help him write a really great novel. He wants to use her years and experience to aid in his telling of the story. Ludy seems like such a nice young man that Mrs. Palfrey agrees. Ludy walks Mrs. Palfrey home and everyone at The Claremont immediately believes this to be the elusive Desmond. Mrs. Palfrey lets this deception continue and even invites Ludy over for dinner at The Claremont posing as her grandson. Everyone is smitten with Mrs. Palfrey's faux-grandson and a relationship between Mrs. Palfrey and Ludy starts blossoming.This isn't a Harry and Maude relationship. This is a relationship not built on a scrap of sexual innuendo. It is a love of friendship and understanding that reaches deep into each of the characters and pulls out of it a fantastic end of life/beginning of life set of circumstances. The beauty of Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont is that the story builds on each subsequent scene, moving us deeper and deeper into their lives. We see Mrs. Palfrey's love of her dead husband, Arthur, and the beginnings of Ludy's relationship with a beautiful young lady thanks to a movie recommendation by Mrs. Palfrey.Although the beginning of the film takes a while to catch on (i.e., it may seem painstakingly slow to some), the ending is well worth your time. It is a story that's been told before, but not with such impact, and this is undoubtedly thanks to the strong script by Ruth Sacks based on Elizabeth Taylor's bestselling novel (no, not that Elizabeth Taylor).Also, the filming at the New Forest Palace grounds near the Abbey at Beaulieu was some wonderful visual candy for fans of this film. It was unbelievably beautiful.One big warning: make sure you keep a box of Kleenex next to you as the story comes to a close. You'll need 'em.