The Thursday Murder Club

[AnneElliotfanclub]

Anyone else been to see this? Was really looking forward to it but rather disappointed by changes to the plot.

I liked it, I thought it was compelling and i'm hoping there will be a follow up.

I didn't read the book do can't compare , but I really enjoyed it most of my favourite actors were in it too

I also didnt read the book but enjoyed the film - loved Pierce Brosnan.

i thought it was a nod to Calendar Girls with Celia Imrie and her cake baking, particularly the buns with the cherries on top which were on view

But Joyce isn’t placed by Imrie in the books and is a great baker there too.

I watched it yesterday... I thought the book was ok and I love Richard O on the Rest is Entertainment, love some of the cast so I thought I'd give it a go...

It was dreadful. Ridiculous retirement home (I'd love to live there even though I'm 50). PB was absolutely awful, I could barely watch. David Tennant was terrible too. Nothing worse than watching people make a terrible job of "sort of cockney/Essex who knows" cliched working class accents. It kind of started ok and was sort of worth it for Celia Imrie and the rest of the cast tried their best too. The scene with the demo was so naff.

Growing up watching Victoria Wood I was looking forward to Celia Imrie leading this big(gish) film, especially in her 'mature' years.

I was a bit disappointed that she wasn't the heart of the film as she is in the books as she is the relatable character and reduced to being a bit silly and baking huge cakes.

PB, no problem, liked him, as I did most of the rest. Agreed Chris and Donna were portrayed as inept, whereas they are both much more competent in the book & have depth and nuance.

Wonder what RO thinks? Regardless, I'd watch the next one.

Just watched. They’ve absolutely done Bogdan dirty! Livid. Ruined the wonderful books

Echoing all the previous opinions! I thought it was alright and my DH who hasn’t read the books thought it was quite funny. But Pierce Brosnan was seriously miscast, there wasn’t enough Joyce and I don’t understand what they’re doing with Bogdan? I liked Donna and Chris, Jonathan Pryce was fantastic as Stephen, and the other main three cast were good. They could’ve utilised Richard E Grant more. Overall it was fairly mediocre for having such a stellar cast and a decent director.

Just watched this.
I agree with PPs who have said Ron is miscast.
I also wanted more Joyce!

It was very poor.

Bad acting, some awful casting choices and the plot changes were stupid.

It didn't have the humour or warmth that are evident in the books.

I don't rate CC as a director at all.

He seems to think old people swearing is hilarious, so no clever humour needed.

It needed a British director.

We finally got round to watching it today. I think everything has been said but my main disappointments were Chris’s character, the ridiculous apartments in the house and David Tennant’s worst appearance in anything to date. Also the way Elizabeth lets REG off about the modern day slavery stuff.
Liked the life drawing class, Donna’s casting and REG apparently being in a whole different film. That’s the way you chew the scenery!

It was even worse than the book. And that’s saying something!

I only finished it finally the other day. Hmm. Ok, I get that they had to lose some subplots because of time constraints, but fingering Bogdan for TC’s murder because he was trying to steal his passport back made no sense — it turns Bogdan into an unfortunate victim of people-trafficking, rather than an incredibly clever man who is kind enough to befriend Stephen, skilful enough to beat him at chess, who wins Elizabeth’s respect, and who gets away with murder… And his assistance is crucial in the three sequels, so who knows who they’ll do without him if they adapt more.

I was left with about a million questions. Like where does Joyce buy her supersized cake tins? She can barely carry her giant cakes. Why, in an expensive retirement community constructed in a palatial stately home, does Ron, whose wealthy son pays his fees, have a foul little attic? Why reinvent Chris, who dresses badly and comfort eats, sure, but whom Donna immediately likes and respects as a good detective, as a sexist, ageist twit? Why reinvent streetwise, irreverent Donna as a bumbler? Why would there be an apparently Catholic parish church and graveyard on a formerly private estate now they’ve written out the nuns from the novel? Why did Richard E Grant appear to think he was in a camp gangster film? Why didn’t he wear gloves? Why give us Pierce Brosnan with a silver beard in denim rather than Ray Winston in a too-tight West Ham shirt as Ron?

Brilliant! You should be a film critic. (Perhaps you are...)

I always imagined Alan Ford as Ron and Pauline Collins as Joyce.

Shame the film wasn’t made ten years ago.

Was in two minds about watching but after reading these posts will give it a go...

Too many famous names which meant you were watching the actor not the acting.

Also, and this is a film problem, the bits that make the books funny, Osman's observations about his characters, the British way of life and so on, are not conveyed.

Pleasant enough.

I saw it last night, thought it was quite wooden and forced even though it had a stellar cast. David Tennant was awful.
Was aghast at the poshness of Cooprs Chase, did not expect that at all.