January 26, 2018 – This is the kind of movie you would expect would get some awards from movie people, but it just kind of disappeared after its initial premiere in 2016. It opened in the U.S. in April of 2017, didn't do well at the box office and quickly disappeared here, too, but it did get good reviews.

I would not have noticed it myself, but my fellow critic, Patrick Ivers, recommended it as one of his favorite films of 2017, so I rented it from Red Box yesterday. I'm glad I did, it is really quite a good film. This is one of those self-congratulatory movies, like “Argo,” that shows heroic movie people bravely making movies for the greater good. It is based on the novel “Their Finest Hour and a Half” (which would have been a much better title for this film) by Lissa Evans.

During World War II, when London was under attack from the Luftwaffe, the propaganda branch of the government decides to make a film about the heroic civilians who helped evacuate over 300,000 British troops trapped on the beach at Dunkirk, France. By chance, Catrin Cole (played by Gemma Arterton of “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”) a woman who had applied for what she thought was a secretarial position with the government ends up writing the screenplay for this movie.

With actors in short supply because of the war, an old actor, Ambrose Hilliard (Bill Nighy of “About Time”) is offered a role in the movie, but he doesn't want the part, because he doesn't want to play a character as old as he really is. However, his agent, Sophie Smith (Helen McCrory of “A Little Chaos”) insists. Later, Hilliard tells Catrin that the only reason they got these jobs is because of the war, and they should not let the opportunity pass them by. The same holds true for Sophie Smith, who would not be Hilliard's agent, but for the fact that she took over her brother Sammy's (Eddie Marsan of “Atomic Blonde”) talent agency after he was killed in a bombing attack on London.

Much of this film plays like a romantic comedy, with occasional intrusions of tragedy when people get killed because of bombing attacks or accidents. Just when you think you know where the story is headed, boom! Another character bites the dust.

The romantic tension builds between Catrin and her fellow screenwriter, Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2”). As they write the screenplay for the movie, it becomes apparent that Catrin, despite her lack of experience, has a real knack for writing screenplays. Catrin and Tom engage in terribly witty banter as they work together.

There is a big problem separating the would-be lovers Tom and Catrin, and that is Catrin's husband, Ellis Cole (Jack Huston of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”) an artist trying to sell his paintings in a bad economy. Once Ellis is conveniently gotten rid of in this story, and just where you think you know where this is headed, boom!

One of the real pleasures of watching this film is watching Bill Nighy work his vain, preening character for all it is worth. He steals every scene he is in, and even shows off his singing voice at the film's wrap party. Jeremy Irons, who plays the Secretary of War, performs the Saint Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V to rally the film-making troops, so to speak. That is where the filmmakers learn that there are big, international propaganda plans for their film.

While making the Dunkirk movie, filmmakers encounter many problems, including an actor forced on them by the war department, Carl Lundbeck (played by Jake Lacy of “Miss Sloane”) who cannot act. But Tom and Catrin, along with fellow writer, Raymond Parfitt (Paul Ritter of “Inferno”) and other actors and filmmakers, manage to cleverly solve all the problems that arise.

This kind of movie, one that celebrates actors and filmmakers, is usually a winner during awards season, but this one did not get noticed. It did poorly at the box office and it was released early in the year, too, which doesn't help because it is months too early for awards season. One of the production companies involved, EuropaCorp, perhaps was not able to generously promote this film due to financial difficulties involved in this and other films, especially the under performing, expensive “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”

I was able to find this at Red Box, so it is probably available on Netflix as well. This is a good mix of drama, romance and comedy, although I prefer romantic comedies with less tragedy. The romantic chemistry between Catrin and Tom is well played, and Bill Nighy's performance is priceless here. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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