Sunday, August 12, 2018

Film Review - Tea with the Dames (2018)

Tea with the Dames is a documentary film directed by Roger Michell and stars Dames Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins whi on occasion get together to reminisce and laugh about the stories and careers but this time the cameras came with them and they talk about their long careers and their lives.

And all of it is delightful, so much so that I wish it had been 2 hours long instead of just 83 minutes as each of these ladies have so many stories about their lives, their former husbands and the many experiences they’ve had on stage and on film not to mention how they got started in the business and name dropping quite a few names that they’ve worked with and met over the years.

There is also a bit of sadness to it as well as all of them reveal the various health issues they now face be it loss of hearing or eye sight and given how particularly Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith have played these invincible roles like the head of Gryffindor House in the Harry Potter movies or M in the James Bond series where it felt like nothing could stop them and yet in real life their years are beginning to run out was just so sad.

Also at one point a brief clip of Alan Rickman came on and it really tugged at my heartstrings after watching Die Hard in 4K and he is sorely missed.

And so that was Tea with the Dames a delightful doco with 4 wonderful ladies that could’ve easily been 2 hours and I wouldn’t have minded at all, 4 out of 5.

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