Keeping Mum

This is a terrific British black comedy. It won’t have you in gales of laughter, but there are plenty of good laughs and it will have you smiling throughout with the occasional grimace. Rowan Atkinson is the quintessential English Vicar. He has played the role before, notably as the nervous “new blood” in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Who could forget the “Holy Goat”? Kirstin Scott-Thomas is great as his frustrated wife, who is (almost) having an affair with the deliciously sleazy Lance, played with relish and oozing sleaze by Patrick Swayze. Of course, the star of the show is Maggie Smith as the central character, Grace, around whom this funny and often touching tale of murder, revenge and dysfunctional family life is based. She made me wish that I had a house keeper or great Aunt with her talent for dealing directly with life’s annoyances, both large and small.