There's a breath of spring feeling about ENCHANTED APRIL--nothing deep, just a story of four women who want to escape from it all, share a villa in Italy, and find that the enchanted environment brings about small changes in each one of them in a positive manner.
MIRANDA RICHARDSON is the quiet housewife who seems to think her husband is bored with her; POLLY WALKER is a pretty socialite who wants to be admired for more than her beauty; JOAN PLOWBRIGHT is a crotchety older woman who learns to appreciate friendship when it's offered; and JOSIE LAWRENCE is the rather scatterbrained, almost eccentric woman who is unsure about her marriage until she invites her husband (JIM BROADBENT) to the charming place in the country where she feels nothing but good vibes. MICHAEL KITCHEN is the owner of the villa who falls for Richardson, thinking she's a widow, but then finds consolation with the pretty socialite who appreciates that he didn't warm up to her on the basis of her looks alone (he's nearsighted).
Most humorous aspect of the story is the relationship between Walker and her hubby, ALFRED MOLINA, whose relaxing bath turns into one of the films only "explosive" moments when he fails to understand Italian and the meaning of the word for dangerous.
It's a simple tale, woven tightly together by the four strands of storytelling, and passes the time pleasantly enough even though there are times when nothing seems to be happening. The pace is very slow, even for a film with a running time of little more than an hour and thirty minutes, so it's not a tale for every taste. It's a quietly reflective character study of perfect strangers learning about each other.
Nicely photographed in Italian locations, it's visually pleasing and easy to take, but really nothing special happens here.
MIRANDA RICHARDSON is the quiet housewife who seems to think her husband is bored with her; POLLY WALKER is a pretty socialite who wants to be admired for more than her beauty; JOAN PLOWBRIGHT is a crotchety older woman who learns to appreciate friendship when it's offered; and JOSIE LAWRENCE is the rather scatterbrained, almost eccentric woman who is unsure about her marriage until she invites her husband (JIM BROADBENT) to the charming place in the country where she feels nothing but good vibes. MICHAEL KITCHEN is the owner of the villa who falls for Richardson, thinking she's a widow, but then finds consolation with the pretty socialite who appreciates that he didn't warm up to her on the basis of her looks alone (he's nearsighted).
Most humorous aspect of the story is the relationship between Walker and her hubby, ALFRED MOLINA, whose relaxing bath turns into one of the films only "explosive" moments when he fails to understand Italian and the meaning of the word for dangerous.
It's a simple tale, woven tightly together by the four strands of storytelling, and passes the time pleasantly enough even though there are times when nothing seems to be happening. The pace is very slow, even for a film with a running time of little more than an hour and thirty minutes, so it's not a tale for every taste. It's a quietly reflective character study of perfect strangers learning about each other.
Nicely photographed in Italian locations, it's visually pleasing and easy to take, but really nothing special happens here.