There used to be a time when the period romantic drama was thriving. You could find it on the BBC, nearly every Oscar race of the ‘80s and ‘90s and when Harvey Weinstein found some cache, he certainly pursued this kind of picture relentlessly even up until TWC’s essentially last movie, “Tulip Fever,” due to the Academy’s fondness for them. These days the breed is somewhat rare, but given that the content-hungry Netflix seemingly needs an oversaturation of all kinds of genre, romantic period dramas, in this case, a British one set during WWII, have been able to find a home on their streaming channel.
The latest is the easily-remembered, rolls-off-the-tongue title of “The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society.” Directed by Mike Newell, helmer behind “Four Weddings and a “Funeral,” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” He’s also directed perhaps more similar Oscar-baity dramas like “Great Expectations,” “Love in the Time of Cholera.”
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, ‘Guernsey Literary’ centers on a writer who forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island in the aftermath of World War II, when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.
There’s also a bit of a “Downton Abbey”-feel to the trailer which is perfect because the movie stars British star Lily James who made her name on the show and has since become a big star featuring in “Baby Driver” and Disney’s “Cinderella” remake. Here’s the official synopsis:
Directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and based on the best-selling and much loved novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY sees Lily James (Downton Abbey, Cinderella) play free-spirited writer Juliet Ashton, who forms a life-changing bond with the delightful and eccentric Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII. The film also stars Michiel Huisman (The Age of Adaline), Glen Powell (Set It Up, Everybody Wants Some), Matthew Goode (The Imitation Game, Downton Abbey), Jessica Brown Findlay (Victor Frankenstein, Downton Abbey) and Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd, The Boat That Rocked) with Tom Courtenay (45 Years, Doctor Zhivago) and Penelope Wilton (The BFG, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel).
It’s doubtful that ‘Guernsey Literary’ is going to break Netflix or anything, bring down the service with its massive demand, but again, the streaming service seems to be confident with their approach of bringing everything to at least someone so maybe that works out for them.
Watch “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” August 10th on Netflix.
