Their Finest
A British film crew attempts to boost morale during WWII by making a propaganda film after the Blitzkrieg. Stars Gemma Arterton and Bill Nighy. Based on the novel Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans.
"Catrin Cole (Arterton) is a "slop" scriptwriter, charged with bringing a female perspective to war films produced by the British Ministry of Information's Film Division. Her current project is a feature inspired by stories of British civilians rescuing soldiers after the retreat at Dunkirk. Catrin's artist husband looks down on her job, despite the fact that it's paying the rent. At least lead scenarist Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin) appreciates her efforts While on location in Devon, Catrin begins to come into her own and earn the respect of her peers. She's the only crewperson that Ambrose Hilliard (Nighy), a past-his-prime yet nonetheless pompous actor, will talk to." (Toronto International Film Festival)
- Director:
- Lone Scherfig ('An Education', 'One Day', 'Italian for Beginners')
- Writer:
- Gaby Chiappe
- Cast:
- Gemma ArtertonSam ClaflinBill NighyJack HustonPaul RitterRachael StirlingRichard E. GrantHenry GoodmanJeremy Irons
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Alex Casey
flicksIf La La Land is America’s sparkly love letter to the golden age of 1950s Hollywood, then Their Finest is Britain’s stiff-upper-lip pat on the back to those who kept calm and carried on making art in the dull fog of WWII. Gemma Arterton plays the everyday heroine Catrin Cole, hired by the Ministry of Information to “write the slop” (women’s dialogue, lol) for their latest epic propaganda film tasked with inspiring the nation.
A delightfully nostalgic period drama of movie-making and romance during the London Blitz.
Their Finest (2016) is one of several recent films that remediate women’s conspicuous absence from war history. It stands tall in the war film genre, as well as in period drama and feminist film. With beautiful cinematography, it nostalgically evokes the tensions and deprivations of London in 1940. At the same time, it provides an instructive insight into...
A Movie About the Craft of Making Movies
This movie is about screen writing. It shows how a script drives the action and how screen writers interact and create characters and scenarios. Being a British movie the costumes, characters and acting are a cut above the usual Hollywood fare. The film portraits the precariousness of life in London during the Blitz well. A love story evolves as the movie's...
Boring, long winded & storyline killed
Am very drawn to period dramas but sadly this movie was destroyed by far too many slow, laboured scenes & dragging the story line out much longer than it should have been. Plus a classic case of one romantic matching being completely mismatched and unbelievable. Not even good actors can rescue the poor direction and dragged out plot. The first 20 mins...
Variety
pressA relentlessly charming romantic comedy that sees director Lone Scherfig ... finally expand the sensibilities she displayed with "Italian for Beginners" and "An Education" into a more commercial direction.
The New York Times
pressLove and laughter flow so naturally in "Their Finest" that it is almost (almost) easy to forget there's a war on.
The Guardian
pressChiappe's screenplay, based on Lissa Evans' novel Their Finest Hour and a Half, unfortunately suggests that even someone as spirited as Cole can only find true worth in the reciprocated love of a man, and not her work.
Newsroom
pressDoesn't quite keep calm but it carries on ably through a celebration of classic cinema.
Los Angeles Times
pressGenial and engaging with a fine sense of humour, it makes blending the comic with the serious look simpler than it actually is.
Hollywood Reporter
pressArterton brings grace and understatement to Catrin's gradual belief in herself and in the magic of movies, while Claflin reveals maturity and dry humour that will be a surprise for audiences who know him primarily from his Hunger Games role.
Associated Press
pressInspiring, funny and genuinely romantic, Their Finest is a solid, refreshing crowd-pleaser.
Flicks, Alex Casey
flicksIf La La Land is America’s sparkly love letter to the golden age of 1950s Hollywood, then Their Finest is Britain’s stiff-upper-lip pat on the back to those who kept calm and carried on making art in the dull fog of WWII. Gemma Arterton plays the everyday heroine Catrin Cole, hired by the Ministry of Information to “write the slop” (women’s dialogue, lol) for their latest epic propaganda film tasked with inspiring the nation.
Variety
pressA relentlessly charming romantic comedy that sees director Lone Scherfig ... finally expand the sensibilities she displayed with "Italian for Beginners" and "An Education" into a more commercial direction.
The New York Times
pressLove and laughter flow so naturally in "Their Finest" that it is almost (almost) easy to forget there's a war on.
The Guardian
pressChiappe's screenplay, based on Lissa Evans' novel Their Finest Hour and a Half, unfortunately suggests that even someone as spirited as Cole can only find true worth in the reciprocated love of a man, and not her work.
Newsroom
pressDoesn't quite keep calm but it carries on ably through a celebration of classic cinema.
Los Angeles Times
pressGenial and engaging with a fine sense of humour, it makes blending the comic with the serious look simpler than it actually is.
Hollywood Reporter
pressArterton brings grace and understatement to Catrin's gradual belief in herself and in the magic of movies, while Claflin reveals maturity and dry humour that will be a surprise for audiences who know him primarily from his Hunger Games role.
Associated Press
pressInspiring, funny and genuinely romantic, Their Finest is a solid, refreshing crowd-pleaser.
A delightfully nostalgic period drama of movie-making and romance during the London Blitz.
Their Finest (2016) is one of several recent films that remediate women’s conspicuous absence from war history. It stands tall in the war film genre, as well as in period drama and feminist film. With beautiful cinematography, it nostalgically evokes the tensions and deprivations of London in 1940. At the same time, it provides an instructive insight into...
A Movie About the Craft of Making Movies
This movie is about screen writing. It shows how a script drives the action and how screen writers interact and create characters and scenarios. Being a British movie the costumes, characters and acting are a cut above the usual Hollywood fare. The film portraits the precariousness of life in London during the Blitz well. A love story evolves as the...
Boring, long winded & storyline killed
Am very drawn to period dramas but sadly this movie was destroyed by far too many slow, laboured scenes & dragging the story line out much longer than it should have been. Plus a classic case of one romantic matching being completely mismatched and unbelievable. Not even good actors can rescue the poor direction and dragged out plot. The first 20 mins...
Share