Spitball Army

– Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)
Mrs. Palfrey is carried on the strength of Joan Plowright’s characterization of the title character, but otherwise it is light fare. The quirky denizens of the hotel Claremont are an interestingly Dickensian bunch, and provide the needed contrast between the quite proper gentlelady and her new world – a residential London hotel where she has just arrived after being abandoned by her family. This film hasn’t the pedigree of a Merchant-Ivory production, or even Enchanted April, but it is a step above most of what passes for warm-hearted story-telling in the U.S. (read: Hallmark Hall of Fame productions). I did recommend it to my mother, who appreciates a simple story well told, preferably with an unambiguous resolution.