My Summer of Love

CinemaSerfJun 2024

3.0

On the face of it, "Mona" (Natalie Press) is a bit of a tomboy with few friends and an untrusting nature. When she meets the rather more entitled "Tamsin" (Emily Blunt) you'd expect sparks to fly, but gradually the pair realise that they have more in common than they'd initially thought with their opposites definitely starting to attract. The only real fly in their increasingly idyllic ointment is brother "Phil" (Paddy Considine). He is a reformed criminal who has turned to religiosity with an almost violent zealousness - and he is determined to indoctrinate "Mona" whether she likes it or not. With her finally sensing a degree of purpose in her life, she regales against his control - but... And there's the snag. We don't know. The story all rather peters out, as if they ran out of filming days, or money, or ideas or all of the above. There's a decent chemistry between the two women who deliver quite convincingly at the start, and Considine does what he usually does - just about enough, but the story simply runs out of puff and though the writing does raise a smile now and again, it's just not enough often enough. It's a lovely film to look at, filmed around Yorkshire and showing it off nicely and is just about worth a watch.