Crush
(2001)
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Three forty-something women, Kate (Andie MacDowell), Molly (Anna Chancellor), and Janine (Imelda Staunton), gather weekly to swap stories, drink gin, and laugh about whose life is more pathetic, the prize for which is a box of chocolates. A constant problem for these ladies, who live in the sleepy hills of the English Cotswolds, is the lack of available men. Kate, headmistress at a private school, finds a brief remedy in Jed (Kenny Doughty), a young organ player and a former student of hers. After a funeral, the two promptly shag on a tombstone, and the romp surprisingly becomes true love. Her friends aren't supportive of her youthful love affair, causing a rift in their friendship. The strength of the group's bond is tested further by a tragic event that may pull the three of them apart forever. |
Take Andie MacDowell's American abroad act from Four Weddings and a Funeral, set it in an idyllic Cotswold village for the “overseas market” and you've got yourself a surefire pre-packaged British hit. Sadly, despite its credentials, this romantic comedy drama falls somewhat short of the mark. The plot centres on three 40-something single women — MacDowell's way-too-glamorous headmistress, Anna Chancellor's swearing doctor and Imelda Staunton's frumpy policewoman — who meet to drink and commiserate with each other over their love lives. When MacDowell embarks on an affair with a 25-year-old former pupil (Kenny Doughty), the bonds of friendship begin to unravel. It ought to be a tonic but, while MacDowell does a good job of conveying every emotion under the idyllic sun, first-time writer/director John McKay is too much in thrall to his female leads. The film's good intentions are sabotaged by weak characterisation — not least the men — and an uneasy mix of comedy and tragedy. Crush sat on the shelf for over a year before finally being granted a release, and it's not hard to see why.