Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005)

70% of critics liked it
(57 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(3,646 ratings)

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 move from her long-time home in Scotland to London so she can be closer to her grandson Desmond (Lorcan… More 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 move 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

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Dan Ireland
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 25, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Dec 12, 2006
Studio: Cineville Inc.

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
It's an altogether satisfying drama -- the sort of movie some people complain they don't make anymore.
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
Like the woman herself, Mrs. Palfry gets to you.
Tom Long, Detroit News
A small portrait of friendship and intergenerational connection, painted in delicate strokes and warm tones.
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 the surprises the world can bring.
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 granny.
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.
Brandon Judell, Bay Area Reporter
It's funny," Ireland notes. "The intellectual critics always like to give me a smack about being too weepy. But then the audiences that go see it seem to embrace it, which has been great.
Eric Monder, Film Journal International
This underwhelming "prestige" production offers a few pleasures, but doesn't stay in the memory very long.
Ted Murphy, Murphy's Movie Reviews
MRS. PALFREY AT THE CLAREMONT is a rare treat, indeed, and a crowning achievement for Dame Joan Plowright.
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
Pour yourself a cup of Earl Grey and enjoy.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Despite the measured pace and the predictable bitter sweet mood, the film is only occasionally enchanting
Paul Doro, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Never less than enjoyable. All credit must go to Plowright and Friend, who give completely charming performances.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
One of the season's most humane and heartening films.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
You'd half expect the movie to throw caution to the wind and become "Grandmas Gone Wild," but the film is too prim to offer any surprises.
Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
... an amiable, sweetly sentimental tale ...
Toddy Burton, Austin Chronicle
Unfortunately, the result is high melodrama, at once patronizing and predictable.
Todd Jorgenson, Denton Record Chronicle (TX)
...the film allows 76-year-old Plowright, for years a wonderful character actress in a wide variety of projects, something to call her own.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

joan plowright offers an excellent perfomance as usual
Walter M

[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,… More
[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, 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]
William G

Plods through the paces with all the momentum of molasses.
Sarah B

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… More
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 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.
Sunil J

This movie seemed pretty cool at first but it's kinda weird.
FanGirl B

A sweet story of a budding friendship between an old woman and a young man.