Tortoise in Love (2012)
Tortoise in Love is a feel-good romantic comedy in the tradition of Local Hero, Calendar Girls and The Full Monty. It's about an incredibly slow mover in love and the village that tries to speed him up. The entire film is set in the beautiful English countryside of the Vale of the White Horse in Oxfordshire. The story of the making of Tortoise in Love could almost be a film in itself. Almost the entire village of Kingston Bagpuize in Oxfordshire was involved in the making of the film. Young mums helped with the sales and design and publicity. Retired folk provided the drivers and stewards and props and logistics support. The Women's Institute organised a phenomenal catering effort and all the cast and crew were lodged in village homes for the duration of the shoot.
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Reviews
I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Well, people from UK certainly know very well what was behind this movie but for me, living far abroad, it was a total surprise. I watched it as I do with many other movies and it was only after the end that I went and checked on Guy Browning and discovered the facts.So my opinion, unworthy as it always is, was at least totally unbiased.I found it charming, especially the sentimental education Tortoise receives from his neighbors about what women really want I found that Guy Browning showed originality (which is something I value the most) and did a good job.May be village annual party was a bit too long and repetitive, may be Anya's character could have had a deeper development but in the end the joy of making the movie and the good life of Kingston Bagpuize pass in the film and that's enough.
Really enjoyed this gentle comedy. A film about a small community, made by a small community. It is fun, light hearted and warm. Would definitely recommend for a bit of Sunday evening escapism and a glimpse into English rural life. Plenty of endearing comedy set in a beautiful location. The main characters are goofy but likable and if you are in the mood, this is a lovely little gem.This film was screened at a local venue and was accompanied by an excellent talk about how it came into existence. Guy Browning is an excellent and amusing speaker, who has invested loads into his local community.
There are about 3 positive aspects in this movie: 1) I did laugh maybe once or twice- I was being generous; 2) The setting was quiet nice; and 3) the lead actor was good looking in a sort of Hugh Grant way (but frankly I'd rather just watch a Hugh Grant movie, even if I had seen it before).That being said, the movie was a complete waste of time.. Although, the people who were in it probably had a good time making it... but again, who cares, really? The acting was flat and felt forced at times, hell, even the kissing sucked! The story tried and tested.. The lead actors had no depth of character or chemistry between them.. the love story was no more than stammers and stares here and there... and comedy definitely took a rain check! In short, I'm sorry to say this movie was a waste of time.
Having heard the story about the making of the film (a community project)and the relative success I was full of anticipation and wanted to enjoy it. Sadly, while it starts well, by about ten minutes in it very much feels like a film made by two different groups of people professionals and amateurs.The settings and locations are great and make pleasant viewing, the cinematography is lovely and the sound track fitting, however the script is truly lame and the story paper thin with no character development even attempted. As a viewer I was left with the sense that the film had been built around a few key scenes / jokes which while mildly amusing simply aren't enough to carry an hour and a half, and that therefore the script writer was either too lazy or too arrogant to care.The two leads and the young boy all look good on screen and do a reasonable job with the terribly weak material and some clunking dialogue "your lips are a rocket and mine are the landing station" The rest of the acting is split and the experience/talent of the likes of Stephen Elder, Ivan Kaye, Lesley Staples and Mike Kemp only serves to accentuate the weaknesses of some of the other actors who display everything from just plain ineptness on screen to wild over acting, random gesticulation and weird accents.It's a film version of an am-dram performance and like am dram performances it's really only of interest if you are in it or know someone who is.