The Summer House (1993)

Waris Hussein was an accomplished director so perhaps all he had to do for Jeanne Moreau, Joan Plowright and Julie Walters to turn up here was offer them an opportunity to sit around reminiscing whilst necking copious amounts of booze. For that, folks, is just about all that happens in this drama that sees old friends and family getting together for the wedding of "Margaret" (Lena Headey) to "Syl" (David Threlfall). It's hardly an arrangement made in Heaven, this one - indeed she could hardly be more indifferent to the entire enterprise. That's because she met a much hunkier lad whilst holidaying in Egypt and her future isn't looking so bright now she is home. "Lili" (Moreau) arrives at their country home promising to be seen and not heard, but after a few glasses she alone seems to spot the huge great elephant in the marital room - but can she find a way of delicately asserting herself without offending the groom, his mother (Plowright) or the bride's (Walters)? What's also quite clear is that her own husband isn't there either - and we have to wonder if he is ever going to show up. It's a gently paced affair that only really comes alive when the red-haired Moreau gets her teeth into her part. Otherwise, even though there is a little twist in the tale of the Egyptian excursion that wasn't what I was expecting, the rest of this is all a rather pedestrian television drama that's over-scripted and seems to spend a great deal of time opening curtains and harking back to their respective pasts. Sadly the total is nowhere near the sum of it's parts and though nicely photographed, I found it all entirely bland.