TMS Movie Review: Wicked Little Letters
(StudioCanal / Sony Pictures)
As far as female led movies go, 2024 has been off to a rocky start currently. From the abysmal quality of Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle and S.J. Clarkson’s Madame Web, to the disappointment of Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls and John Ridley’s Shirley to the somewhat promising potential of Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding. The latest lady friendly release, Thea Sharrock’s mystery-comedy Wicked Little Letters, doesn’t produce anything revolutionary, but it is a nice reminder that sometimes it’s okay to just enjoy a movie for a laugh or two.
In 1920 Littlehampton, England, we follow three different women with their own predicaments. Old-fashioned Christian spinster Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) has to deal with her overbearing, unpleasant father, Edward (Timothy Spall); Irish immigrant and single mother Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) quickly grows a reputation in the wholesome community for being loud and unfiltered; and Indian-British policewoman Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) isn’t taken seriously by her male colleagues because of her gender. Things heat up when Edith begins receiving anonymous crude letters with profanities that offend her, and instantly accuses her next door neighbor, Rose, of sending them.
(StudioCanal / Sony Pictures)
Gemma Jones plays Edith’s mother, Malachi Kirby co-stars as Rose’s boyfriend and Alisha Weir appears as Rose’s young daughter. The script for Wicked Little Letters was penned by Jonny Sweet and is surprisingly inspired by a real smalltown UK scandal during the early 20th century. I say surprisingly because there are a couple plot holes or questions left by the conclusion of the cinematic tale, though they’re not too terribly distracting in the long run. The twist will be familiar to film and mystery fans and once again, this is a UK movie where sexism is rampant, but racism amusingly doesn’t exist. Gladys is constantly given a hard time for her anatomy but never her race. I’m not completely convinced this racially progressive utopia has ever existed in Britain, but it is still nice to see a casually diverse cast. Colman is directly in her wheelhouse channeling back to her comedy roots, and Buckley in particular is a highlight with her own comedic timing after being known for serious projects. The different ways we see the three female leads handle the early suffragette period is intriguing too; whether its generational disrespect for Edith, cultural stereotypes for Rose or work misogyny for Gladys.
Though essentially the big screen equivalent of a BBC or Channel 4 procedural, but with foul language and brief nudity, Wicked Little Letters is nice and breezy for an afternoon viewing.