Transmission Films’ Tea with the Dames is pitched as “a unique celebration of the lives and careers of four of our most iconic actresses – Dame Eileen Atkins, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright and Dame Maggie Smith.” Given the title and the film’s promo poster of said Dames sitting all lady-like in a picturesque, quintessentially English country garden, snapped mid-giggle (“ah hahaha, oh how we laughed”!), you’d be forgiven for expecting it to be a quaint little afternoon soiree of a film. Pass the jam and cream, please.
Directed by Roger Michell (My Cousin Rachel, Notting Hill), though in reality, driven by Maggie Smith’s acerbic wit, Tea with the Dames offers a lot more than a bit of countryside tea-sipping while telling tales of old. It’s genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Read my full review of Transmission Films’ Tea with the Dames for Weekend Notes.
