Housewife, 49 (2006)

Let's be realistic.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I was very disappointed in this movie. I've read all of the published diaries and felt this was dull and lifeless compared to the portrayals in Nella's writing. It reflects little of her commitment to her wartime duties and dwells mainly on the saddest aspects of her marriage. There is little of her wit and none of her insights and commentary on the period, the world, and the future. If you want to know about Nella Last and life in and around Barrow-in- Furness during the war (and after) read Nella Last's War, Nella Last's Peace, and Nella Last in the 1950s. Her diary output was vast, but the writers chose the least interesting aspects of her life for the film, a real injustice to a fascinating, intelligent woman.

Housewife, 49 (2006)The idea here is to make the fear of German bombardment in London during WWII as real as possible. And the focus is an extremely ordinary family--in particular the woman of the house, but also her low-key husband and two clever and fighting age boys.The best of it is really amazing at recreating the feel and look and fear of the times. The character actors are wonderful, even if they must be a bit exaggerated. The slang and whatnot is a total joy, even if at times there is a feeling of pushing that too hard.There is a deflating feeling that all this possibility and gorgeous period set-building is supported by a somewhat flat plot. It's not that the bombing and the deaths are a bit unimportant, but rather it is laid out with a kind of plainness that should have been compelling but in fact ends up being just plain. The writing makes sense--perhaps it's some combination of acting and camera-work that lets it all just happen too often.The music, I have to say, is horrible, a kind of television soundtrack that is out of place, almost patched in by a hack studio orchestra that hadn't even quite seen the film. It's surprising how much this alters the feel to it all.The leading woman, the housewife in the title, is a sympathetic character and, and the actress is compelling. She is a woman caught between all kinds of pressures, family and civic duties all around (and without always appreciation). And this pushes her to her mental limits (even seeing a doctor about it). The demands on the part, on the actress, are a bit too much for this production, and for this actress, Victoria Wood. The final outcome and maybe the larger point of the movie is something more than civilian life in wartime. It's about futility and sadness and perseverance. You might find the last scene comforting for its notion of quiet survival, or depressing for its lack of joy.

I watched this because there wasn't much else on TV at the time and this seemed to be the best of a bad lot. What luck! I may otherwise have missed this beautiful and sensitive piece of television. It's a gem. Beautifully written and with excellent direction. Every acting performance, down to the smallest role, creates a real and recognizable character. The dialog is spot on and coveys so much in so few words. The changing dynamics of the relationship between husband and wife and mother and son were so real and so moving. It captures the mood of the times as described to me by older English people who lived through the war and the air-raids. I was sometimes chuckling and sometimes close to tears. I loved it. Bravo Ms Wood and bravo those who financed it and brought it to us.

Although I am not a fan of Victoria Wood as comedienne (I just never understood her comedy and therefore never found her funny) I was intrigued by the concept of this drama so I watched it.I am glad I did, as it was a very well written drama that looks into life in the perspective of a mother Nella Last who sees her life change around her, more often than not in the way peoples attitudes are and also throughout the war realises she doesn't know those close to her including her family as well as she thinks she does, this in turn makes her look at her own lifestyle and realises she must change in some aspects too.Although I may not be a fan of Victoria Wood in her primary guise, (as a comedienne), as an actress she has proved in this drama she is a first-rate actress and considering she wrote this drama, a decent writer too.On the whole a nice heart-warming wartime family drama.