Having been eagerly awaiting the film of Tamara Drewe ever since I read the book, I was very excited to score tickets to a preview screening, gifting me the rare opportunity to be at the forefront of cultural comment. Apart from a significant omission towards the end, Stephen Frears’ film is a faithful interpretation of Posy Simmonds’ graphic novel, with the scenery and most of the actors bearing a striking resemblance to their cartoon counterparts.
As in the book, Tamara Drewe herself is a bit of an enigma: Gemma Arterton is undoubtedly beautiful and gives a perfectly good performance but the other characters are so much more vivid and interesting that she struggles to make an impression. It was interesting that in the Q&A session afterwards, neither Frears nor Simmonds really mentioned Tamara or Arterton; instead, they talked about the casting of the supporting roles and the quality of the actors. Particular praise was reserved for Tamsin Greig as Beth, who has given over her life to the author husband whose pictures cover the walls of their house, even the downstairs toilet. In a frumpy wig and dowdy clothes, she manages his career as well as the estate on which they run a writers’ retreat, doing everything from typing his novel to answering his fan mail and from cake baking to lawnmower maintenance.
Unfortunately for Beth, she has chosen to marry an unmitigated rotter; her husband Nicholas has no appreciation for anything she does for him, dismissing her patronisingly whilst philandering with a succession of younger women including Tamara, who had a crush on him when she was a gawky schoolgirl. Roger Allam is just perfect in the role: he makes Nicholas a sleazy charmer whilst also showing his underlying cruel streak. He is such a good villain that the Guardian-reading audience were almost hissing every time he appeared on screen, and seemed delighted when he got what was coming to him.
Tamara also puts it about a bit, and there are two other men in her life: her childhood friend Andy (Luke Evans), the boy next door with a heart of gold and a wandering accent, and the rock star Ben, played by Dominic Cooper in a performance seemingly modelled on Danny from Withnail & I. The arrival of the latter to the village in a yellow Porsche attracts the attention of two bored teenagers, whose actions go on to create havoc for all concerned. Much praise has been heaped upon these young performers – not least by Stephen Frears - but I felt there was a bit of overacting going on, particularly from Jessica Barden as Jody, the feistier of the two. The dialogue that Simmonds and screenwriter Moira Buffini have written for them feels very authentic but I felt that the performances too frequently crossed the line into caricature, with much over-enunciation and pulling of faces.
Presenting a chocolate-box view of the English countryside, complete with photogenic chickens, but with darker undertones, Tamara Drewe is very English and highly entertaining, with sharp writing, excellent performances and some great set pieces. It is released in the UK on 10th September and if you fancy a couple of hours of rural escapism, you should probably go and see it.
Tags: Dominic Cooper, Gemma Arterton, Jessica Barden, Luke Evans, Posy Simmonds, Roger Allam, Tamara Drewe, Tamsin Greig
