Director Mike Newell has always made films that have a literary quality to them which comes as no surprise since most of his movies (THE AWAKENING, HARRY POTTER & THE GOBLET OF FIRE, the recent GREAT EXPECTATIONS to name 3) are adaptaions of books. He concentrates on characters and dialogue and as a result his movies have a very deliberate pace and his choice of material is often quite dark in tone.
Those already familiar with his work will be ahead of the game but others should take the plunge so that they can discover the wonderfully self-contained worlds that his movies allow us to visit. Other films of his worth investigating or revisiting include the well known FOUR WEDDINGS & A FUNERAL, the wonderfully acted ENCHANTED APRIL, and the remarkable DONNIE BRASCO.
AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE is set in post World War II Liverpool and tells the coming-of-age story of a young girl who gets involved with a second rate theater troupe and the people who are part of it. They are led by a classic old school “queen” played by Hugh Grant who has a waspish tongue and designs on the male members of the company much to the consternation of his long suffering partner (Peter Firth). Our naive young heroine Stella (Georgina Cates) doesn’t realize he’s gay at first and idolizes him and when that illusion is shattered, she takes up with the company’s Don Juan (Alan Rickman) who sees her as just another conquest until he develops feelings for her.
This leads to an amazing discovery and a remarkable ending. The title of the film comes from a line in PETER PAN which the troupe performs throughout the movie. Full of comic moments, ADVENTURE is definitely not a comedy. Like most coming-of-age stories it has its share of pain and self-discovery. The final shot is remarkable in its poignancy. While not a movie for everyone, those capable of going the distance will have a memorable film experience. A must for Alan Rickman fans.
The Capsule Critic 