| Saving Grace | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Nigel Cole |
| Produced by | Mark Crowdy Xavier Marchand Cat Villiers |
| Written by | Mark Crowdy Craig Ferguson |
| Starring | Brenda Blethyn Craig Ferguson |
| Music by | Mark Russell |
| Cinematography | John de Borman |
| Editing by | Alan Strachan |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | 19 May 2000 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million[1] |
| Box office | $46 million[1] |
Saving Grace is a 2000 British comedy film, directed by Nigel Cole and based on a screenplay by Mark Crowdy and Craig Ferguson. It was co-produced by Fine Line Features, Homerun Productions, Portman Entertainment, Sky Pictures, and Wave Pictures and filmed in London and the villages of Boscastle and Port Isaac in Cornwall, starring Brenda Blethyn, Ferguson, and Martin Clunes, among others. Distributed by 20th Century Fox in major territories, the film premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, where it won Cole the Audience Award for World Cinema.[2]
Critical reaction to the film was generally positive and it received favorable notice for an independent British comedy film, eventually grossing $24,325,600 worldwide, following its theatrical release in the United States.[1] In addition, the picture was awarded by the Norwegian International Film Festival and the Munich Film Festival, also spawning a BAFTA Award nomination for Crowdy,[2] and ALFS Award, Golden Globe and Satellite Award nominations for Blethyn and her performance.[2]
Contents |
Prim and proper housewife Grace Trevethyn finds herself unexpectedly widowed, in dire financial straits when she inherits massive debts that her late husband had been accruing for years, and faced with losing her house. She decides to use her talent for horticulture, and hatches a plan to grow potent marijuana which can be sold at an astronomical price, thus solving her financial crisis. Grace and her gardener's efforts to hide their illegal enterprise from the quaint and curious townsfolk and market their product compose the remainder of the film.
The film was released on 19 May 2000 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it grossed £3,000,000 during its theatrical run.[3] Although it took only a tenth of simultaneously-released Gladiator's box office haul, Saving Grace was, however, considered a "good showing" in consideration of the film's low budget.[3]
In the United States the film opened on 4 August 2000, where it soon emerged as a small box-office surprise during the slow-seasoned summer.[3] Having originally opened at 30 screens,[3] it was eventually showing on more than 870 theatres (Fine Line had only planned to open it across 200 screens) during its most successful weeks in early September 2000, when Saving Grace averaged takings of $3,351 per theatre - more than hits like X-Men and Hollow Man.[1][3] It eventually grossed £12,178,600 overseas.[1]
The critical reception of the film was fairly positive, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a 62% Fresh approval,[4] and the review scores aggregate website Metacritic giving it a 62/100 rating.[5] Jonathan Crow from Allmovie gave the film three out of five stars, calling it "wacky British comedy" with a "Waking Ned Divine (1998) meets Up in Smoke (1978)" effect.[6] Roger Ebert gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating,[7] stating that "the setup of Saving Grace is fun, and Blethyn helps by being not just a helpless innocent but a smart woman who depended too much on her husband and now quickly learns to cope."[7] However, he criticized the film for its "more or less routine" ending: "We're left with a promising idea for a comedy, which arrives at some laughs but never finds its destination."[7] Dana Stevens from The New York Times called the film "this summer's bait for the Anglophiles," meaning "that they're English and elderly apparently makes their antics screamingly funny to people who would turn up their noses at similar humor in a film like Scary Movie."[8]
| Saving Grace | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | 15 May 2000 |
| Genre | Pop Rock Film music |
| Label | WEA |
| Producer | Mark Russell |
Track Listing
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 19 May 2000 |
| United Kingdom | |
| Switzerland | 15 June 2000 |
| Switzerland | 15 June 2000 |
| United States | 4 August 2000 |
| Germany | 17 August 2000 |
| Norway | 1 September 2000 |
| Sweden | |
| Netherlands | 17 September 2000 |
| Israel | 5 October 2000 |
| New Zealand | |
| Australia | 12 October 2000 |
| South Africa | 20 October 2000 |
| France | 25 October 2000 |
| Hong Kong | 9 November 2000 |
| Belgium | 6 December 2000 |
| Italy | 13 December 2000 |
| Iceland | 22 December 2000 |
Martin Clunes starred in two television film prequels to this film, made by BSkyB: Doc Martin and Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie, in which viewers learn that Bamford, a successful obstetrician, finds that his wife has been carrying on extramarital affairs behind his back with his three best friends. After confronting her with the news, he decides to leave London and heads for Cornwall, which he remembers fondly from his youth. Shortly after he arrives, he gets involved in the mystery of the "Jellymaker" and, following the departure of the village's resident GP, decides to stay in Port Isaac and fill the gap himself.
Clunes' company tried selling the franchise to ITV who generally liked it, but felt the character of Martin Bamford needed a little something more to him than just being a "townie" who is a little out of his depth in the country. ITV wanted something a little more edgy, so Clunes came up with the idea of the doctor being unusually grumpy. Out of that idea a new series, also called Doc Martin was born. This series is nowadays still a huge success in the UK and the end titles mention that it is "derived from Saving Grace" too.
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