Janice Beard 45 wpm (2008)

46% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
52% of users liked it
(134 ratings)

We are introduced to Janice (Irish stage comedienne Eileen Walsh in her screen debut) at her ill-starred beginnings; her father dies of a heart attack during her birth, causing her mother to plunge into a post-natal, post-mortem agoraphobic depression that endures for 23 years. As Janice grows up on… More We are introduced to Janice (Irish stage comedienne Eileen Walsh in her screen debut) at her ill-starred beginnings; her father dies of a heart attack during her birth, causing her mother to plunge into a post-natal, post-mortem agoraphobic depression that endures for 23 years. As Janice grows up on public assistance she makes it her goal in life to entertain her mother with outlandish and fanciful tales of the outside world. As an adult she studies medical journals to find a cure for her ouse bound mother's ills, evetually heading to London with minimal secretarial skills determined to earn the cash to pay for treatment. Still inhabiting an elaborate fantasy which now features her dazzling artistic and professinal achievements, Janice concocts an impressive resume and plunges into the work force, wih disastrous results. In exchange for her promise to be as normal as possible, a childhood friend gets Janice a job in the typing pool of a car manufacturing firm. Struggling to fit in she eventually even wins over the glam but nasty man trap - head of the secretarial pool (Patsy Kensit). As the company gears up for the launch of a new model, Janice finds what she thinks is love with the mail room boy Sean (Rhys Ifans of "Notting Hill") but in fact has becomes a pawn in an idustrial espionage scheme that could ruin the company. Can little Janice cure her mother, save the sompany and find true love in the bargain? -- © Empire Pictures

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 18 min.
Directed By: Clare Kilner
Genres: Television, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: May 10, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Jun 24, 2008
Studio: Empire Pictures

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
All ends well, sort of, but the frenzied comic moments never click.
Megan Turner, New York Post
It's impossible to indulge the fanciful daydreams of Janice Beard (Eileen Walsh) when her real-life persona is so charmless and vacant.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
As Janice, Eileen Walsh, an engaging, wide-eyed actress whose teeth are a little too big for her mouth, infuses the movie with much of its slender, glinting charm.
Jan Stuart, Newsday
Walsh can't quite negotiate the many inconsistencies in Janice's behavior or compensate for them by sheer force of charm.
Ed Park, Village Voice
If the heroine's forced wackiness hinders believability, at least the energetic Walsh makes her entertaining.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
we don't care much what happens to Janice
Kieron Corless, Sight and Sound
On the whole Janice herself is an endearing, eccentric creation but the film lacks the sharpness that might capture the public's imagination as Billy Liar did back in the early 60s.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
A poignant coming-of-age story about a young woman never embittered by her shortcomings, or by the imperfections of those she loves.
Ed Scheid, Boxoffice Magazine
A clever script and skilled actors bring new energy to the familiar topic of office politics.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The plot's contrivances are uncomfortably strained.
Robert Wilonsky, New Times
Director Clare Kilner's debut is never as daft as it should have been.
Jon Lap, Apollo Guide
Where Janice Beard falters in its recycled aspects, implausibility, and sags in pace, it rises in its courageousness, and comedic employment.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Cast

Eileen Walsh
as Janice
Rhys Ifans
as Sean
Patsy Kensit
as Julia

David O'Hara
as O'Brien
Sandra Voe
as Mimi

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