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Joan Plowright, Rupert Friend, Zoe Tapper, Anna Massey, Robert Lang ... see more see more... , Marcia Warren , Georgina Hale , Millicent Martin , Emma Pike , Anna Carteret , Timothy Bateson , Michael Culkin , Lorcan O'Toole , Carl Proctor , Sophie Linfield , Clare Higgins

An elderly widow and a young would-be author strike up an unlikely friendship in this comedy drama. Mrs. Palfrey (Joan Plowright) has been uneasy since the death of her husband, and she decides to mov... read more read more...e from her long-time home in Scotland to London so she can be closer to her grandson Desmond (Lorcan O'Toole). Mrs. Palfrey settles into the Claremont Hotel, a shabby residential inn for senior citizens that has seen better days. She tries to contact Desmond, but isn't able to get in touch with him, and at first she has a hard time relating to the other folks at the Claremont, especially friendly busybody Mrs. Arbuthnot (Anna Massey). Lonely and out of sorts, Mrs. Palfrey goes out for a walk one day and takes a nasty spill after losing her balance. Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend), a struggling writer in his mid-twenties, finds Mrs. Palfrey on the pavement and helps her, taking her back to her room and making sure she's OK. The two strike up a conversation and discover they have a surprisingly amount in common. A friendship grows between them, even though Mrs. Palfrey asks Ludovic to pose as her absent grandson so her neighbors will stop asking questions about him. Mrs. Palfrey even gives her new friend romantic advice, encouraging Ludovic to ask a pretty girl he meets at the video store out on a date. Based on a novel by the British author Elizabeth Taylor, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont was directed by Dan Ireland. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

78% liked it

3,644 ratings

Critics

70% liked it

57 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Dan Ireland

Release Date: November 25, 2005

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DVD Release Date: December 12, 2006

Stats: 302 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (302)

  • jjnxn
    April 7, 2007
    jjnxn
    joan plowright offers an excellent perfomance as usual
  • gator681
    July 14, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" is about the widowed Sarah Palfrey(Joan Plowright) who moves into the Claremont Hotel in London in order not to be a burden to her daughter and to have some independence in her life. The hotel is close to her grandson, Desmond... read more, who works at the archives but after several weeks, he has not called her. While on the way back from mailing a letter, Sarah trips outside of the apartment of Ludovic Meyer(Rupert Friend), a writer and busker, who cares for her injuries. And she enlists him to pretend to be her grandson...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]While maybe not appearing to be much at first, "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" is somehow touching without being maudlin. Overall, it is about the marginalization of the elderly in society, especially when their younger relatives do not make time for them.(In response, the movie gives a broader definition of family.) In addition, Sarah is more than normally out of touch with the time she is living in.(When somebody loses a person in their life, they lose a part of themselves.) Which is why she and Ludovic connect so well, since he feels so disconnected to his own time, using a manual typewriter, which I thought was a nice touch, along with being a very polite and considerate young man. [/font]
  • wbgoose13
    November 7, 2006
    wbgoose13
    Plods through the paces with all the momentum of molasses.
  • mingsysar
    February 22, 2009
    mingsysar
    I caught this minor miracle of a film on TV and was captured from the beginning. It made me change my mind about Keira Knightley's other half, Rupert Friend, made me face up to my fears about old age and death, it uplifted me, cast a pleasantly melancholy shadow over my afternoon... read more and gave me a sense of hope in humanity for the first time since I lost it. It may change your perception of the world, or just your afternoon, either way it's more than worthwhile. I would recommend this film to anyone.
  • SunilJawahir
    October 25, 2008
    SunilJawahir
    This movie seemed pretty cool at first but it's kinda weird.
  • FanGirl
    July 22, 2008
    FanGirl
    A sweet story of a budding friendship between an old woman and a young man.
  • loymabait
    July 9, 2009
    loymabait
    good side to see point of view of senior being put on retierment homes. bond of good friendship not matter what age. joan plowright play her exclent rol good moral nice to see with hole family good moral
  • gmgonyon
    April 2, 2009
    gmgonyon
    This movie is so moving, and inspiring. It tells a story of a struggling, aspiring writer who learns to love with a whole heart through the love of an elderly woman. Heart-warming and heart-felt, anyone who appreciates subtle comedy and drama mixed together will surely love thi... read mores movie, as I did!
  • zelda64
    July 16, 2008
    zelda64
    This was so wonderful; Palfrey is staying at a hotel and she finds her family doen't even visit or call.She pulls a joke on her friends,when she tries to pass a young gentleman as her grandson.

    Plowright gives an outstanding performance, and I love her.
  • iNuckFuts
    June 14, 2008
    iNuckFuts
    This was a very enjoyable movie, one that I would have normally skipped over had it not been on television and I been bored.
    All the actors were absolutely brilliant. The dialogue was great. There were laughs and tears, love (and a bit of loathing towards Mrs. Palfrey's grandson)... read more. Unfortunately, I could place my grandmother as Mrs. Palfrey and myself as the grandson. We should all take hints from this movie and make time for our loved ones because they may not be as lucky to stumble across a Ludovic Meyer.

View All Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
June 2, 2006
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

It's an altogether satisfying drama -- the sort of movie some people complain they don't make anymore. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
May 19, 2006
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

Like the woman herself, Mrs. Palfry gets to you. Full Review

Tom Long
May 19, 2006
Tom Long, Detroit News

A small portrait of friendship and intergenerational connection, painted in delicate strokes and warm tones. Full Review

Terry Lawson
May 19, 2006
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

Plowright, who has made something of a specialty of breathing life into stereotypically written older women for the past 20 years, makes the most of a rare opportunity to play someone still open to th... Full Review

Roger Ebert
May 5, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Just as teenagers enjoy escapist movies, so do the elderly. They simply prefer a gentler pace. What is touching about Mrs. Palfrey is that she is allowed to be elderly, and not turned into a hip-hop g... Full Review

Michael Phillips
May 4, 2006
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

The whole thing feels programmed; the movie's sense of humor lacks understatement. So does the movie's sense of pathos. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
April 27, 2006
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Not deep but much fun, it gives Plowright possibly her best role in the flickers. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
March 31, 2006
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

Of course, sentiment in such pure form is hard to embrace. Without a realistic edge, it's like a flower arrangement: lovely for a short span, then prone to wilting. Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
March 25, 2006
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A small film, done in a minor key. At times, it can be so slow it's like watching paint peel. Full Review

Roger Moore
February 24, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's watchable but wan, quite dry and bloodless. Full Review

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