Moon Film Review: Hampstead

Your Cultural Correspondent (Film etc) approached 'Hampstead' with some trepidation. The main reasons being its title and obvious location. Still the desire to see the sadly not able to be Dame-pending Miss Diane Keaton overcame ones anxiety. And thank goodness it did. For the film, inspired by the story of Harry Hallowes was very enjoyable. The players were superb, not least Miss Keaton and Mr Brendan Gleeson.

We must also give a special mention and applauso to Miss Lesley Manville and those who played her 'friends' for their perceptive and spot on portrayal of a certain type of English person who believe themselves to be the best of British when, in fact, they are actually the very worst of British.

We all know the type, indeed characters from Your Cultural Correspondent's past whirled around in ones remembrance for the duration of the film and afterwards, not least when that wonderful line 'that's the shoe budget gone' was uttered. The characters one refers to, are, of course, those who display dubious characters/amorality/immorality (delete according to how much one detests such people), an integral part of which is their projected belief in their own superiority. As if to prove the point, both The Telegraph and The Observer have awarded the film one star, the former describing it as 'staggeringly unconvincing' while the latter described it as 'ghastly'.