Janice Beard 45 wpm (1999) (TV)

Director:

Clare Kilner

Writers:

Ben Hopkins (writer)
Clare Kilner (writer)

Release Date:

29 October 1999 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

72% of Office Romances end in disaster. This started as one...

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film | Character Name In Title | Number In Title

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Eileen Walsh	...	Janice Beard
Patsy Kensit	...	Julia
Rhys Ifans	...	Sean
Sandra Voe	...	Mimi
David O'Hara	...	O'Brien
Frances Grey	...	Violet
Zita Sattar	...	Jane
Amelia Curtis	...	June
Mossie Smith	...	Dolores
Sarah McVicar	...	Tracy
Eddie Marsan	...	Mr. Tense
Perry Fenwick	...	Mr. Button
Maynard Eziashi	...	Clive Morley
Robbie Barnett	...	Janice's Father
Jean Murphy	...	Midwife

Also Known As:

Janice Beard (USA)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | France:U | UK:15

Company:

Arts Council of England

Soundtrack:

Bomba Venezuela

What a marvelous little film

I have a hard time understanding why the overall IMDb rating for this film is so low. Perhaps it's because the film is a small independent film without the usual Hollywood budget and trappings--I know a lot of people have a prejudice towards these style films. Regardless, it's very unfortunate because it was a great film--with amazing writing, direction and acting. It just goes to prove that you don't need a big budget in order to make a marvelous film.

The story itself is very quirky. Janice's mother is a depressed agoraphobic who hasn't left her home since just after Janice was born. As a result, as a child Janice learned to create a fantasy world and told her mother amazing but untrue stories about life outside their home. Unfortunately, now that she is in her 20s, she continues to live in a fantasy world--almost like Walter Mitty (but her fantasies are not nearly THAT grand).

When Janice leaves Scotland for a job in England, she is a total failure and loses job after job. However, she sent her mother glowing reports of success and even went so far as to fake videos to convince mom she was doing well! The bottom line is that Janice is indeed a flake--a very BIG flake. Now she was a nice person, mind you and you wanted her to succeed but her strangeness just prevented her from fitting in anywhere...that is, until she came to work for a small auto manufacturer. Here, despite her past, Janice somehow manages to slowly create a niche for herself. Unfortunately, at the same time she has no idea that an evil corporate spy is stealing from the company and has set her up to take the fall!

Now along with this unusual plot, there are lots of funny moments and the character of Janice is so cute you are really pulling for her to, despite it all, succeed. Amazingly, the writers are able to interweave some wonderful comedic moments into the plot AND make it all seem so plausible when things turn out brilliantly for Janice as the film progresses. In many ways, this film is reminiscent of the great little film American DREAMER--when an ordinary person suddenly is caught up in adventure and it all works out much like a fairy tale in the end. An exceptional and highly engaging film for someone looking for something both usual and well-written.