Wicked Little Letters
Summary
It does n’t take long forWicked Little Lettersto limit the tone . Within the opening few frames , a puce - faced Timothy Spall has loose a volley of invective that would shame a Panama , laying the groundwork for a spectacularly sweary 102 minutes . The normal of revered British thespians serving up more f - dud than a Gordon Ramsay restaurant signify thatWicked Little Lettersis undeniably odd . Yet , as each diatribe apply ever - more inventive cursing , the movie increasingly palpate like a missed opportunity .
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Cast
When Edith and fellow residents begin to find wicked letter full of unintentionally screaming profanity , foul - mouthed Rose is charge with the criminal offence . The anonymous missive prompt a home uproar , and a trial ensues .
Wicked Little Letters' Stellar Cast Thrives With Coarse Comedy
Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman are particular highlights
Wicked Little Lettersis a queer blend of styles and stories . Based on the shocking lawful story of the Littlehampton Letters , the first human action establishes a mystery about a series of insulting commensurateness delivered anonymously throughout a sleepy community in post - war England . The chief defendant isJessie Buckley ’s Rose Gooding – an Irish immigrant whose brash personality ofttimes brings her into struggle with the town ’s more conservative residents , let in Olivia Colman ’s deeply spiritual Edith Swan . On Edith ’s testimony , Rose is imprisoned and castigated by the establishment . Yet , as she protests her innocence , it becomes clear there ’s more to the story .
Despite being placard as a mystery , Wicked Little Letters ' force have little to do with the story . The tangible culprit behind the profane campaign is obvious from the get - go , with confirmation coming about halfway through the film . Instead , the moving-picture show succeeds thanks to the skills of its stellar casting . Jessie Buckley is electrical , pretend Rose a likable , charismatic , and slightly dangerous mien . Likewise , Oscar - winner Olivia Colmandelivers some of the movie ’s most lewd lyric with unfeigned zest , made even funnier by her role ’s puritanical personality .
The movie is at its good when the ensemble cast is allowed to fully indulge in an unexpected torrent of cursing . The juxtaposition between quaint English sensibility and speech communication that would makeJoe Pesci inGoodfellasblush rarely fails to extract a chortle – even as it becomes progressively clear that this is the movie ’s only literal jest . But while there are plentitude of laugh to be had , Wicked Little Lettersfalls forgetful of greatness , scarce engrave the airfoil of what could have been a compelling social commentary – albeit with plenty of " f*cks " .
Wicked Little Letters Fails To Unpack Its Biggest Themes
It only scratches the surface in its social commentary
The movie make legislate reference to several key root that , if explored properly , could have elevated it beyond effective insult comedy . Anjana Vasan ’s Gladys Moss , for instance , is the motion picture ’s most interesting character – negociate the patriarchal humankind of law enforcement as Littlehampton ’s only " woman law officer" . She could have been the gross fomite for the film to delve deeper into the social hypocrisies around gender , yet it comes up frustratingly short of adding anything meaningful to the discourse , submit Moss to pursuing suspectsScooby - Doo - style around town .
The juxtaposition between quaint English sensibility and language that would make Joe Pesci inGoodfellasblush seldom fails to educe a chuckle – even as it becomes progressively vindicated that this is the movie ’s only real joke .
Further slowness comes from abrupt tonic shifts that sit uncomfortably with the movie ’s sunny tone . The relationship between Timothy Spall ’s Edward Swan and his girl is so sinister that it borders on horrifying . While Spall is excellent as ever , spend too long in his troupe transforms the celluloid from gleeful clowning to tense psychological thriller ; it ’s an awkward tightrope thatWicked Little Lettersnever really manage to walk . Ultimately , the movie fails to bring out anything meaty about Edward ’s personality , other than establish him as a monster awkwardly skulking in the setting .
In more deft hands , Wicked Little Letterscould have used the Littlehampton Letters scandal as a conduit for really illuminating societal comment . Compared to something like Armando Ianucci’sThe Death of Stalin , the moving picture never manages to effectively reconcile its light and dark element . or else of work together , these disparate element grating and shock , frustratingly failing to come together into a single cohesive narrative . The movie is still very odd . But , beyond the letters themselves and its quality cast , Wicked Little Lettersfalls short of dead on target comedy sizeableness .
