Keeping Mum

Now here's a British comedy that broke the mould a bit. Kristin Scott Thomas as a frustrated housewife, yes; Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling vicar, no. Ultimately, it is Maggie Smith, transformed into arsenic and old lace, which harkens back to the golden era of Ealing Comedies. As the deliciously wicked "perfect" housekeeper, Smith's character will stop at nothing to keep her employer's family happy and harmonious, either with a kind word or a blunt shovel. The ridiculous nature of such events is enhanced by the vision of Dame Maggie herself carrying them out. This is tongue-in-cheek, dry, British humour at its best. [Graham McIntosh]