Movie Review: Wicked Little Letters

 

 
Film Info
 

Release Date: March 29, 2024 in limited release; April 5, 2024 in the Detroit Area
 
MPAA Rating: R (for language throughout and sexual material)
 
Running Time: 102 minutes
 
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Gemma Jones, Eileen Atkins, Timothy Spall, Hugh Skinner, Alisha Weir, Lolly Adefope, Jason Watkins, Joanna Scanlan
 
Director: Thea Sharrock
 
Writer: Jonny Sweet
 
Producer: Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Ed Sinclair, Olivia Colman, Jo Wallett
 
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
 
External Info: Official Site / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok
 
Genre: , ,
 
Critic Rating
 
 
 
 
 


User Rating
2 total ratings

 

What We Liked


A stellar cast, including Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, elevates the film above its shortcomings.

What We Didn't Like


Some may find the mystery element a bit wanting in this new mystery film.


0
Posted  April 6, 2024 by

 
Read the Full Review
 
 

Although some may find the new mystery Wicked Little Letters a bit lax in actual mystery, an incredibly strong cast, led by Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley manages to elevate the film to a wickedly clever piece that makes up for its shortcomings with unabashed enthusiasm and excitement.

"Wicked Little Letters" posterBased on an allegedly true story, Wicked Little Letters tells the tale of two women: Edith Swan (Colman) and Rose Gooding (Buckley) who, after Rose is accused of sending Edith and several of the town’s residents several profane letters, set about investigating the crime themselves to prove that Rose is innocent.

Director Thea Sharrock – whose previous feature work includes The One and Only Ivan (2020) and Me Before You (2016) – works from a script that was penned by Jonny Sweet, an actor who has also written scripts for several episodes of the television programs Gap Year (2017), Together (2015), and Chickens (2011). The result is a perfectly charming mix of humor and drama but remains surprisingly light in the mystery department.

The dynamic between Colman and Buckley, however, proves far too powerful to be assuaged by the film’s lack of whodunit tropes and the overall film plays as an enjoyable piece. The rest of the film’s cast turns out to be quite remarkable as well. Both Anjana Vasan as police officer Gladys Moss and Eileen Atkins as Mabel, manage to steal scenes they’re featured in giving the film a depth of character it might not have enjoyed without such a strong supporting cast.

Despite being a mystery without an overly complicated mystery to solve, Wicked Little Letters proves to be a rather entertaining frolic of a film thanks in large part to the film’s two leading ladies and the wonderful dynamic they share throughout.

WHERE TO WATCH (powered by JustWatch)

Mike Tyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.
Mike Tyrkus

Latest posts by Mike Tyrkus (see all)