We are transported to England in the year 1935 and screenwriter Charles Condomine (Dan Stevens), winner of a coveted crime fiction award, has had writers block for some time. He goes to a London playhouse with his wife Ruth (Isdla Fisher) and friends to see Madame Arcate (Judi Dench) a spiritualist as the entertainment.
During the performance he gets an idea on how to trigger his mind by having a séance in his home with his wife and friends in attendance. Thinking it all a game with no harm done, Charles’s plan goes fine until a lightning strike starts to make him a believer. When Madame Arcate congers up his dead ex-wife Elvira (Leslie Mann), a battle of wits verses a haunting past ensues.
The film Blithe Spirit is a fun little comedy with some good laughs from this looney plot and should make for descent entertainment for an audience of forty plus. Nicely directed by Edward Hall, who has directed many British TV episodes including “Downton Abbey”, “Partners in Crime” and “MI-5”, works up some fair fantasy situation comedy. However, Blithe Spirit being his first film for the big screen (or home screen), Hall’s film does have a lot of British TVish feel.
While the film will probably work well in England, it’s a grade below in the good old US of A. Most of the pratfalls and plotlines will be very familiar to viewers who have seen films like The Addams Family and others of the same ilk causing deja vu. And casting would have been better with choosing some unknowns. Isla Fisher has done so many comedies and as Ruth she looks like a repetition of several of her roles. Judi Dench can be categorized the same way with her Murder on the Orient Express, Artemis Fowl and more coming to mind. Leslie Man’s character was close to being a bit part, although I must admit she does come across on the screen emulating Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent or a pretty good depiction of Cassandra Peterson’s “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark”.
Blithe Spirit has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for suggestive references and some drug material. The film is now playing in select theaters, Digital and VOD. (2.5 out of 5 Stars)
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
