Slip on a comfy sweater and put on a kettle of tea, it's the trailer for The Bookshop.
Based on the 1959 novel, the film stars Emily Mortimer (The Party) as a widow who opens up a bookshop in an old historical building in a small coastal town. She faces opposition at every turn, including from wealthy arts patron Mrs. Gamart (Patricia Clarkson). But she finds companionship and support from her eccentric neighbor (Bill Nighy), who is literally described as not the same "after the tragic death of his beloved wife." (That is actually a line of dialogue spoken here.)
While the film looks like something that would pop up on Netflix after mindlessly scrolling, or the movie your grandmother would rave about after calling to check in on her, it's actually received a lot of acclaim, particularly in Spain. Directed by Barcelona native Isabel Coixet, the film won Best Film, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay at the Goyas, Spain's equivalent of the Oscars.
The Bookshop opens in limited release on Friday, August 24.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
