1. SaleriaJ.

   8

   A lovely, charming film with exceptional acting. It's meant to be a fairy tale and not analyzed to death. Just a wonderful, heartwarming confection. Dame Judi, once again, proves she's one of the greatest living actors of our day.… Expand

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2. cherylc.

   8

   Where to begin... The acting by two all-time greats; the remote haven, out of time, between the great wars, full of characters Dickens might have concocted; the music; the yearning. No, they don't make pictures like this anymore. Actually, they never did. But it's possible to imagine that people lived lives like these, and those are so far removed from today they are priceless. Simply lovely.… Expand

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3. MichaelP.

   5

   I'd have to agree with most of the positive reviews...with one exception. There was a hole in the plot larger than the colossal multiplex screen on which I saw this film. Namely, the teenage boy seems to come from nowhere, apparently with zero background, family, or any other history. Furthermore, neither of the sisters is remotely interested in where he comes from or where he was going or are concerned that his family might be sick with worry about his whereabouts and safety--apparently, just learning that he is Polish satisfies them in all such matters (oddly). There is no concern about the wrecked ship that he supposedly came from, no concern about the fate of the other passengers--nothing. In short, these characters do not behave in a realistic way. It bugged me for the first half of the film, and I heard other people in the audience complaining about it when I left the theater. I'm all for artsy films that explore elements of human nature that are rarely touched upon (like an older woman falling madly in love with a boy young enough to be her grandson--very well done here), but I believe that it's still possible to stick to the basics of good storytelling when making this kind of film. Without the fatal flaw--which, sadly, would have been easy to fix in the script--I would have given the film a high score.… Expand

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