A pair of star-crossed lovers in Ireland get caught up in their family’s land dispute.
Taking place in the rain-drenched lush land of Ireland, Rosemary (Emily Blunt) and Anthony (Jamie Dornan), neighboring farm families, have always been attracted to one another since childhood. Now adults and helping to keep their respective farms viable, their parents are aging and passing, but not before Anthony has the realization that his father, Tony (Christopher Walken) doesn’t plan to leave him the farm. Instead, he’s flying his financially successful New York nephew, Adam (Jon Hamm) in to seal the deal. Rosemary, who continues to wait for Anthony to make the first move for literally years and years, appears to give up and sets her sights on Adam. Meanwhile, the adorably awkward Anthony, the joke in town, struggles to do more than get through each day. I’m sure you can guess what happens next.
Chuck says:
There are times when you need some comfort food – meatloaf and mashed potatoes may not be considered fine dining and there are few surprised where this stand-by is concerned – but there are times when you don’t want to be surprised, you just want what you want.
Wild Mountain Thyme is the corned beef and cabbage of movies, a thoroughly satisfying piece of cinema that follows the quirky love story template to a tee and is all the better for it. As written and directed by John Patrick Shanley (Moonstruck), the movie is as whimsical and unabashedly romantic as that classic, though not as sharply written.
The chemistry between Dornan and Blount is charming, Walken is his usual scene-stealing self and Hamm brings a subtle sense of arrogance that balances the sincerity of the two leads. An unexpected delight.
3 Stars
Pam says:
Much of this story is quite predictable and it never seems to know if it’s supposed to be a comedy or a drama. The characters are quirky, lovingly so, and while I needed more of that, I was hooked and had to see how it all ends.
The story captures the small town Irish community. Dornan is adorable making it hard to believe he was the lead in “Fifty Shades of Grey” and Blunt taps into her inner geek. Together there is a sweet chemistry that is undeniable. While Hamm is his usual confident self, Walken dives in to his Irish roots, takes on a credible accent, and gives us a uniquely memorable performance as Anthony’s father. However, “Wild Mountain Thyme” needed to push the envelope of quirky. This restraint prevented it from realizing its potential and while you root for this oddball couple, the lack of courage to push those comedic boundaries detracts from the story.
2 1/2 Stars
