Thursday, May 26, 2005

"Happy Birthday, dear Geraldine"

I bought the Bedrooms and Hallways DVD and watched it for the first time today; my very first contemporary Jennifer Ehle movie. Quite a change from Pride and Prejudice, Possession and Sunshine! The story is about...well, it's hard to define, actually. The main character is Leo, a 30-year-old gay London bloke who goes along to his straight friend's male support group, where he falls for a supposedly straight guy, Brendan. Brendan happens to be in the middle of a break-up with Sally (Jennifer Ehle's character) who was Leo's high school sweetheart. Hilarity ensues.

My verdict? Very funny, frank and sexy. If you want more details, browse through the proper critics' reviews.

Can't seem to find any DVD reviews online, so I'll give you a run down of the features. There are no subtitles or audio options, but the special features are decent. There's a "featurette" with behind-the-sceens footage and short cast interviews, as well as an interview section with most of the cast and the director. Jennifer Ehle only has 40 seconds of interview time, and part of this is repeated in the featurette. Here's what she says:

  • On what Sally wants:
    "I think she wants to sort of get back in touch with who she wanted to be when she was, you know, sixteen, who she dreamt about being. She hasn't quite become that person. So, she's kind of on a bit of a confused quest and it seems to work out ok."

  • On her reaction to the script:
    "I loved it, there was just an irreverence about it, and it's very funny, very very funny. And I haven't come across any sort of, um, any British comedy that was like this, that was original and fresh"

    There's also a "behind the scenes" section of shots from the production without any commentary.

    Buy the DVD in the US, UK or Australia (Aussies: I bought it at JB Hifi for $17).
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