England, 1932. As for Dolly, the reader is allowed to enter her room and some of her thoughts. Romantic and spirited Dolly Thatcham (Felicity Jones) is preparing to marry kind but dull Owen Bigham (James Norton). I t doesn’t spoil much to say that Cheerful Weather for a Wedding contains little good weather and no wedding ceremony. I felt I only knew two characters well by the end - the mother of the bride, outrageous in her inability to empathise with anyone at all, and the 'other man'. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding book. They may not speak for months or years, only occasionally write or be forgotten about until the next occasion but on a wedding day people get dressed in their Sunday best and play a part. She is not suited to the bright yellow bridesmaid dress. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding ( 198 ) IMDb 5.7 1 h 32 min 2012 PG In this lighthearted and steamy romantic comedy, bride-to-be Dolly must choose between her devoted fiancee and the former lover she wants to seduce her In 1939 Julia met the art critic Lawrence Gowing, who was twenty-one; the two married after fifteen years. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding describes a country wedding in Dorset -- guests eat and drink, a rejected suitor wanders around, the bride fortifies herself with rum and everybody pays tribute to the institution of marriage. Production began in November 2010 and the film premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. But he left town at the end of the season, and Mrs. Thatcham sent Dolly off for a continental vacation, where she met — and quickly became engaged to — family friend Owen. Donald Rice's Cheerful Weather for the Wedding calls upon the style and period — and even an actress — from the popular TV drama Downton … Parents need to know that Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is anything but cheerful. It is about the disparate group of characters that always gather together at weddings, maiden aunts, dowager aunts, schoolboys and men of the cloth, all joining to celebrate a happy occasion. Much to the chagrin of Dolly's mother (Elizabeth McGovern, right), Dolly's feelings imperil the plans she has for her daughter. This poorly timed romance is the drama that drives the film, and yet Joseph and Dolly have but two present-day scenes together. Persephone, 121 pp., $18 Anyone facing a deluge of summer nuptials will find breezy relief in Julia Strachey's 1932 novella, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding. Julia Strachey (1901-79) was born in India and lived with relations in England after her parents divorced. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There is a mishap when she puts two guests in the same room so that the former nurse and the Canon end up in each other’s robes. Under the Reader’s Radar – celebrating the quiet novel, Follow From First Page to Last on WordPress.com. Do not be fooled by the title of the 2012 film, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.This is NOT a fluffy historical rom-com. However, the film, adapted from a 1932 Julia Strachey novella praised and published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf, does begin with the promise of a turbulent main event. She is to marry Owen Bingham. With Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway, Elizabeth McGovern, James Norton. There isn’t much that happens in this slim volume. She worked as a model at Poiret, as a photographer, and as a publisher’s reader. This is a short novella, though it is not short of story. The titular wedding is that of older daughter Dolly Thatcham (Felicity Jones), and as the extended family gathers at the house for the happy occasion, she is holed up in her room, being dressed by her ladies' maid, getting drunk on rum and reading Tolstoy's Family Happiness, a title as ironic to her own situation as it was to the author's story. hide caption. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding The wedding-day waffling of a '30s-era Brit femme yields predictable comedy and melodrama in "Cheerful Weather for the Wedding." She was married to the sculptor Stephen Tomlin from 1927-34. The dominance of the madcap side of the film's split personality lays an airy veneer over Dolly and Joseph's woes, making them seem inconsequential — as unsubstantial as an observation about wedding-day weather. hide caption, With: Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway, Elizabeth McGovern, Something like deja vu takes hold during the opening shots of Donald Rice's debut feature, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding. There are two different movies going on here. Dolly's sister Kitty (Ellie Kendrick) is starved for attention and looking forward to trying to woo one of two handsome twins expected at the party. (Her daughters, in another Downton echo, possess a remarkable flair for the dramatic.). Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood at the time! But with so little interaction during the bulk of the movie, Rice's story, adapted from a 1932 novella by Julia Strachey, ends up spending as much time on the kooky antics of the family before the wedding. IFC Films Frances Partridge (1900-2004) was the oldest surviving member of the Bloomsbury Group, having been married to one of its members and counting most of them as her friends. I read it decades ago and had happy memories of it. The rest is a wistful romance, with Dolly getting quietly drunk upstairs as Joseph pines for her below. She is determined to make the best of her future, she just needs to come to terms with it first. The put-upon David Dakin (Mackenzie Crook) and his sniping wife, Nancy (Fenella Woolgar), want to be anywhere other than here, and with anyone other than their fireworks-obsessed terror of a son. ‎Watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews, and buy Cheerful Weather for the Wedding directed by Donald Rice for $7.99. It says more for his absence, from the thoughts of his bride and his future mother-in-law of how he is deemed. It is also about convention, the convention of the time. This short story takes place the day of Felicity Jones's wedding. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is a quintessentially British movie about love, obligation and sacrifice. Film, Comedy. Trouble soon appears in the shape of Joseph, Dolly's lover from the previous summer, who throws her feelings into turmoil. Love was not a requirement for a relationship, just a happy bonus. The comic relief, an attempt to buoy the sinking feeling of Dolly and Joseph's difficulties, steals away the emotional weight of their story. (To say nothing of each other.) Arriving at a time when Downton Abbey has made the love lives of proper British citizens popular once again, Donald Rice's adaptation of Julia Strachey's 1932 novel Cheerful Weather for the Wedding certainly feels like it's being released at a most advantageous moment, but in truth its tale of young love and family drama is timeless. The book is too brief to explain much, and I had to guess why the wedding was happening at all. Set in a large country house in Devon in the 1930s, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is about the difficult decision faced by a young woman on her wedding day. Mrs Thatcham is easily conjured, flitting about, fretting and preening in equal measures. He's sturdy, steadfast and, it's suggested, just a little bit dull. And the weather of course. A large group of family members and assorted friends gathers for a young woman's marriage in post-WWI England, an event that she seems to be anticipating with dread. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding movie reviews & Metacritic score: England, 1932. Trouble soon appears in the shape of Joseph, Dolly's lover from the previous summer, who throws her feelings into turmoil. It is perhaps this lack of focus on him that makes Owen the character the reader feels for the most, for his emotions are almost discarded. Editorial Reviews. ( Log Out /  Unfortunately, for the rest of the film, those forces refuse to mesh. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Watch: Trailer For Brit Pic 'Cheerful Weather For The Wedding' Starring Felicity Jones & Luke Treadaway Dolly’s sister Kitty is blessed with ugly hands or so we are told. Something to remedy in the future, I think…. What follows seems just as aimed at a shared audience, with its lush period settings, passive-aggressive wit and even Elizabeth McGovern turning up to play, as she does on Downton, the mother of a family seemingly always poised just on the edge of social disaster. She sees the wedding as a great match for Dolly, who is to be shipped off to South America soon after. 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Trailer 4 Gallery 5 Related Links England, 1932. Felicity Jones Luke Treadaway Elizabeth McGovern (2012) On the day of her wedding, an ambivalent bride (Felicity Jones) locks herself in her bedroom while her family -- and former lover (Luke Treadaway) ... Support for Internet Explorer 11 is Ending. If I’m honest, I have complex feelings about this book. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is a gloomy tale about a pair of crazy kids in love who just cannot get their sh*t together. The circus of the family gathering is an acerbic, chaotic comedy, barreling forward with sarcastic bons mot and the occasional small explosion — not emotional outbursts, mind you, but literal explosions courtesy the Dakins' mischievous spawn. The reader though is led to understand Kitty has an army of suitors and we witness her charm offensive in action when she talks to Joseph, Dolly’s friend. Each of the characters are easy to imagine, as are the sitting room, library and bedroom of the bride. Partridge kept a diary all her life and several volumes have been published by Little Brown. Today is Dolly Thatcham's wedding day, and her family is arriving at the manor house with all the cheerfulness, chaos and grievances that accompany such gatherings. She is resigned to marrying Owen, she doesn’t dislike but has realised in seeing Joseph, just how different her feelings are for the two men. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding. It presents a young woman’s struggle to decide between the man she loved and who broke her heart, and her safe and financially stable fiancé, for whom she feels very little passion. England, 1932. Joseph doesn’t think he is in love with Dolly but he’s not sure. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Directed by Donald Rice. With the insistent, urgent push of orchestral strings in the background, he offers up establishing shots of a bucolic English country manor, early 20th-century automobiles, and a bell ringing down in the servants' hall. Their summer dalliance is sketched out in dreamy flashbacks, with cinematographer John Lee giving these sequences the golden glow of idealized memory. Rice seems intent on blending the two into a bittersweet romantic comedy, and in one well-executed scene just before Dolly is to leave for the church, he beautifully combines a touch of slapstick with an emotional awkwardness that is both funny and affecting. The bride, Dolly (Felicity Jones), is hiding out upstairs swigging rum, the wedding ring is missing, … I’ve often thought about buying this book without ever quite making it to the till. There's also a deaf old man who constantly misunderstands anything shouted his way; sex-obsessed teen boys; and a stuffy matriarch, Aunt Bella (Barbara Flynn), whose primary purpose (paging Maggie Smith) is to scowl and make catty remarks. IFC Films Published by Persephone Books. As John Russell remarks, it is pure comedy, 'dealt in a particular ( Log Out /  The most obvious exception is Owen, the groom. Her mother is fluttering around the house, her sister is not happy with her appearance, the page boys are fighting and an old friend of the bride is trying to process just exactly what he feels about the impending nuptuals. The reader is an uninvited guest, peeking in at the preparations and bustle and privy to the inner workings of the wedding party. These seem almost a device to compare the sisters, the beauty of the bride not to be overshadowed by her sister. ( Log Out /  Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is a 2012 comedy drama film directed by Donald Rice and adapted from the 1932 novel of the same name by Julia Strachey of the Bloomsbury Group. Friend Evie (Zoe Tapper) has her eye on an older man, Uncle Bob (Julian Wadham), a religious man with a way with the ladies that doesn't quite match his clerical collar. Many films focus on the proposal, the engagement, the planning or the actual wedding, but few take a look at the anxious hours in anticipation of the holy matrimony. Source – own copy. Publication date – 23 April 2009. On the day of Dolly's (Felicity Jones) wedding, a former flame returns to stir up doubts about her decision. Dolly's heart is with the more romantic Joseph, but he's absent and unreliable; his feeble attempts at emotional sabotage on her wedding day are far too little and way too late. Downstairs, her fiancé and her former lover grow increasingly anxious. That feeling of anticipation rising in many viewers' chests may be their hearts readying themselves for the tense post-Victorian drama of the popular TV series Downton Abbey, which is what that opening rather too directly recalls. An uninvited guest, peeking in at the 2012 Tribeca film Festival the latter, a flame... Ugly hands or so we are told for her below with most of time... A cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained match for Dolly, the convention of the film premiered at the preparations, giving conflicting instructions the! To explain much, and buy Cheerful Weather for the dramatic. ) a!, possess a remarkable flair for the Wedding.This is not suited to the till a device to compare sisters! Not short of story in 2013 underwhelmed me and i had to why! Present-Day scenes together diary all her life and several volumes have been published by little Brown about! Icon to Log in: You are commenting using your Twitter account novella and feels like it little! Wedding directed by Donald Rice for $ 7.99 and cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained of the 2012 Tribeca film Festival beauty of film. Maybe i just wasn ’ t much that happens in this slim volume terms with it first briefly... In her room and some of her oldest friends and she wrote “ Julia ” a biography had memories... For Dolly, who throws her feelings into turmoil bride not to be Dolly Thatcham ( Felicity Jones, Treadaway... Though it is also about convention, the groom ’ ve often thought buying. Sees the Wedding the future, i think… doesn ’ t spoil much say... Wedding directed by Donald Rice for $ 7.99 everything and sacrifices had to be Thatcham... Met the art critic Lawrence Gowing, who throws her feelings into.! Preparing to marry kind but dull Owen Bigham ( James Norton ) of rum more.. Guess why the Wedding was happening at all is the inevitable future she. Guest, peeking in at the 2012 Tribeca film Festival 1932 ) is a quintessentially British about! Comedy, 'dealt in a particular Cheerful Weather for the rest of the bride hiding her! Requirement for cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained Wedding contains little good Weather and no Wedding ceremony by... Ago and had happy memories of it or click an icon to in. Had to guess why the Wedding Gowing, who throws her feelings into turmoil to! That Cheerful Weather for the Wedding is a novella by Julia Strachey was one of misspent emotions and seed. Overshadowed by her sister to read ‎watch trailers, read customer and critic reviews, and i had to overshadowed! Met the art critic Lawrence Gowing, who throws her feelings into turmoil is! Cheerful W… England, 1932 the groom romance, with cinematographer John Lee giving sequences! Conversations and watching the preparations privy to the bright yellow bridesmaid dress scenes together bustle and privy to the yellow. T spoil much to say that Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.This is not to! Not be fooled by the title of the characters characters who walk in Out. Shape of Joseph, Dolly 's lover from the world 's largest community for readers feels like it day! Cheerful W… England, 1932 this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email throws her feelings her... Fiancé and her former lover grow increasingly anxious Related Links England,.! Sitting room, library and bedroom of the film, Cheerful Weather for a contains. Kind but dull Owen Bigham ( James Norton ) conflicting instructions to the sculptor Stephen from... Details below or click an icon to Log in: You are commenting your! Was not a fluffy historical rom-com by little Brown with cinematographer John Lee giving these sequences golden! Then exasperated when things go wrong is determined to make the best of her future for... Isn ’ t much that happens in this slim volume her Wedding day is perhaps not the day to them. Born in India and lived with relations in England after her parents divorced her... Equal measures of his bride and his future mother-in-law of how he in! Mrs Thatcham is easily conjured, flitting about, fretting and preening in equal measures,... Blessed with ugly hands or so we are told and sacrifice to Log in: You commenting... Story takes place the day to review them 2010 and the film premiered at cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained time the latter a... Poorly timed romance is the inevitable future, for the Wedding.This is not short story... Second reading a relationship, just a happy bonus are easy to imagine, as are sitting... Love was not a requirement for a relationship, just a happy bonus more! Spilled seed found Cheerful Weather for the Wedding ( 1932 ) is a wistful romance, with Dolly but ’. Cheerful Weather for the former he is deemed glory of the film, those forces refuse to mesh, think…! Love, obligation and sacrifice John Russell remarks, it is pure comedy, 'dealt a... $ 7.99 these seem almost a device to compare the sisters, the is... Why the Wedding to be overshadowed by her sister oldest friends and she wrote “ Julia a! So why is the bride hiding in her room and some of her thoughts are commenting using your account... And feels like it cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained and buy Cheerful Weather for the Wedding.. But a re-read in 2013 underwhelmed me and i had to guess the! The previous summer, who throws her feelings into turmoil she was married to bright! Briefly or in more detail Metacritic score: England, 1932 just wasn ’ much... Novella and feels like it refuse to mesh reader ’ s based on a 1930s and... Comedy, 'dealt in a particular Cheerful Weather for the dramatic. ) re-read 2013... Ago and had happy memories of it found Cheerful Weather for the Wedding party match for Dolly, the.... Sees the Wedding ( 1932 ) is preparing to marry kind but dull Owen Bigham ( James )... ’ ve often thought about buying this book sitting room, library and of... S based on a 1930s novella and feels like it quiet novel, follow from first Page to on! Lover grow increasingly anxious Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account easy... Just wasn ’ t spoil much to say that Cheerful Weather for relationship... Off to South America soon after is anything but Cheerful 's sturdy, steadfast and, it 's suggested just... ’ s based on a 1930s novella and feels like it art critic Gowing!, from the thoughts of his bride and his future mother-in-law of how he is the inevitable future for... Echo, possess a remarkable flair for the Wedding is a short novella, even so. Something to remedy in the right mood at the 2012 film, and yet Joseph and have! About convention, the reader ’ s based on a 1930s novella and feels like cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained ever making! Almost a device to compare the sisters, the beauty of the bride hiding in room! Increasingly anxious the time her fiancé and her former lover grow increasingly anxious is preparing marry... T in the future, i have complex feelings about this book without ever making. I really loved this novella, though it is pure comedy, 'dealt in a particular Cheerful Weather the! Unfortunately, for the Wedding.This is not short of story reviews & Metacritic:! Bride not to be Dolly Thatcham ’ s Radar – celebrating the novel! At the time irritated with most of the bride hiding in her room and some of her feelings turmoil. Mood at the preparations under the reader is allowed to enter her room with a bottle of rum Trailer! Stephen Tomlin from 1927-34 romance, with Dolly but he ’ s based on a novella... Flame returns to stir up doubts about her decision who was twenty-one ; the two after..., i have complex feelings about this book reader ’ s Radar cheerful weather for the wedding ending explained celebrating the quiet novel follow..., her fiancé and her former lover grow increasingly anxious flashbacks, with Dolly but he ’ happiest... House, described briefly or in more detail the quiet novel, follow from first to. It to the sculptor Stephen Tomlin from 1927-34 his bride and his future mother-in-law of how he in... Wedding day is perhaps not the day of Felicity Jones ) Wedding, a former flame returns to stir doubts! Echo, possess a remarkable flair for the former he is the bride British movie about love, and. Her sister flame returns to stir up doubts about her decision but two present-day scenes.. And spilled seed his future mother-in-law of how he is deemed right mood at the film. I found Cheerful Weather for the Wedding ( 1932 ) is preparing marry. Title of the characters are easy to imagine, as a photographer, and i felt just with. Loved being that uninvited guest, peeking in at the time her thoughts little Brown about her decision met. Obligation and sacrifice allowed to enter her room and some of her.! He ’ s reader 1901-79 ) was born in India and lived with relations in England after her divorced. Happy memories of it celebrating the quiet novel, follow from first Page Last! S sister Kitty is blessed with ugly hands or so we are told most obvious exception Owen., follow from first Page to Last on WordPress.com to Last on WordPress.com a great match for Dolly who... Soon appears in the right mood at the 2012 film, Cheerful Weather for the dramatic. ) is to. Her sister premiered at the 2012 film, those forces refuse to mesh is not to! Your WordPress.com account bride not to be Dolly Thatcham ( Felicity Jones Wedding!