Genre: Drama/Historical
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writer: Rosie JoLove
Based on the novel by Barbara Pym
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Rothe, Antony Starr, Hugh Dancy, Tom Ellis, Kat Dennings, Jayma Mays, Valorie Curry, Michael Cera, Sally Field
Plot: In 1950's England, Mildred Lathbury (Amanda Seyfried) watches as a new neighbor moves into the flat below her own. Mildred lives in a three-story apartment building in a less than posh London neighborhood. On the bottom floor is many offices, on the second floor it is the newly occupied flat, and the top-level belongs to Mildred.
Mildred and the new neighbor, Mrs. Helena Napier (Drew Barrymore), meet in the basement. This chance encounter embarrasses Mildred as it doesn't seem proper to have the first meeting while carrying garbage. Mrs. Napier says her husband's in the Army and will be joining her soon.
Mrs. Napier tells Mildred about her work as an anthropologist. The part that especially fascinates Mildred is when Mrs. Napier says that her husband's living in Italy. Although Mildred's captivated by Mrs. Napier, she bears a sense of disdain over the woman's lack of domestication. Mildred sternly reminds herself that this attitude isn't one of Christian charity. Mildred was born and raised in the country, the daughter of a minister and his wife. After her parents died, Mildred reconnected with an old roommate. Because Mildred's over 30 and unmarried, there's a stigma of becoming a spinster, a role that Mildred doesn't dislike.
St. Mary's Church is worship for Mildred, and as an unmarried woman, she becomes good friends with the pastor and his older sister. Mildred has dinner at the vicarage regularly. The food isn't delicious, but neither Julian Malory (Hugh Dancy), the pastor, nor his sister, Winifred (Jessica Rothe), notices it because there are many more exciting things to think about and talk about. Winifred's especially eager and high-strung with a sense of awkwardness about her. Mildred finds it odd that more people don't vote on Julian, especially since he's an unmarried pastor. Over dinner, Mildred tells the Malorys about Mrs. Napier. In return, the Malorys tell her of an unexpected donation from an anonymous source.
The Malorys decide that their house's too large for just the two of them. The brother and sister have decided to rent the rooms on the second floor and ask Mildred if she's interested. Mildred says that while it'd be lovely, she opts to stay in her current apartment. Winifred agrees, saying that it'd probably be improper.
On the way home from the Malorys, Mildred hears voices from the Napiers' apartment. Mildred knows that Mr. Napier hasn't yet come back from Italy. Helena visits Mildred and tells her that Mr. Napier's coming home from Italy. Helena confesses that she and Rocky felt an instant passionate connection when they met and never stopped to learn much about each other.
Mildred finds out the identity of the male voice she'd heard in the Napier apartment. It belongs to Everard Bone (Tom Ellis), an anthropologist and colleague to Helena. Bone and Helena have decided to write a professional paper on the experience.
A telegram arrives at the apartment announcing Mr. Napier's arrival. Since Helena isn't home, the delivery man takes the telegram to Mildred's flat. Mildred feels that it's essential to get in touch with her. Mildred remembers Everard Bone and thinks that perhaps he and Helena are working on the paper.
Rockingham Napier (Antony Starr) arrives home, and Mildred's the one to greet him at the door. Rockingham's a tall, handsome man who carries himself with the distinct air of a military man.
The Napiers' doors are open, and the pair enters the flat. Rockingham seems to be thrilled to be at home and tells Mildred he isn't surprised that Helena isn't there to greet him. Rockingham confesses that Helena isn't domestic, and he'd never expect to come home to a meal.
On Ash Wednesday, Mildred attends mass at a church near her office at the Censorship. Mildred's surprised to see Everard Bone at the gathering. Mildred tries to decide if she should mention Bone's presence at mass to the Napiers. Later that evening, Mildred hears the Napiers bickering as she goes upstairs to her flat.
Rocky invites Mildred to come downstairs for a visit. After considering the oddity of seeing Everard, Mildred decides to mention seeing Bone at the mass at St. Ermin's Church. Helena's somewhat defensive, asking if Mildred thinks all anthropologists were atheists. Mildred says that she never thought about anthropologists' religious affiliation. Still, she suspects that some may choose to worship the ancients' religious traditions. Helena says that Bone became a devout convert before going to Africa.
Mildred goes to the Malory house to help Winifred with the church jumble sale. Winifred's excited to tell they found a tenant, a widow by the name of Mrs. Allegra Gray (Valorie Curry). Mildred notices immediately that Julian's paying a lot of attention to Mrs. Gray. When other people comment, she's quick to defend Julian by saying he is just kind to the new parishioner.
As the spring arrives, Mildred has her annual lunch date with William Caldicote (Michael Cera), Dora's brother. At one time, Dora (Kat Dennings) had hoped that Mildred and William would develop a romance. Over the years, the relationship turned into more of a friendship.
Over lunch, William and Mildred talk about Mildred's work with the aged gentlewomen, the arrival of the Napiers, Mrs. Gray, and Dora's news. William immediately assumes that Mildred's upset about Julian's attention. Williams says Mildred's an excellent woman, one who shouldn't marry.
Mildred has a desire to visit Winifred to catch up on the news. Ever since Mrs. Gray moved in, they haven't seen much of each other. When Mildred arrives, Winifred's in Mrs. Gray's room, helping her move in and arrange her things. Julian arrives in time for tea, and Mildred sees Winifred's affection for Mrs. Gray. Mildred feels a combination of jealousy/protection and makes an escape.
Helena, Everard, Rocky and Mildred go to the Learned Society to hear the speech on Africa's trip. Rocky and Mildred sit together in the gallery as interesting people mill around the room. At the same time, Helena and Everard make their presentation. After the performance, the group goes out to dinner. Everard and Helena make no effort to make Mildred feel at home. Throughout the meal, Mildred feels inferior. When Everard mentions that he's going away for a while, Helena's visibly upset.
Dora comes to visit over the Easter holiday. When the pair goes shopping, Dora makes comments about how Mildred's looks changed. There's a conversation about giving up on marriage over the age of 30. Dora and Mildred ride atop a double-decker bus to Piccadilly. They see Julian and Allegra Gray holding hands in public. Dora finds this demonstration somewhat odd, and Mildred becomes extremely upset.
Rocky comes by Mildred's apartment, inviting Dora and Mildred for drinks. Dora has a grand time flirting with Rocky. At the same time, Mildred feels somewhat uncomfortable, mainly since she isn't used to drinking alcohol. Both Dora and Rocky tease Mildred. Mildred tries to convince them that she isn't interested in relationships.
Dora and Mildred go to their school reunion. On the way home, Dora and Mildred meet a Wren officer stationed in Italy simultaneously as Rocky. The woman tells Dora and Mildred about Rocky's numerous affairs. Mildred's shocked by the confession and wonders if Helena knows.
Getting together to decorate the sanctuary for Whit Sunday, Allegra's ingratiated herself to Winifred. The group's shocked anyone should try to interfere with the job that belonged to Winifred. Winifred's centerpiece is still groups of lilies donated by the congregation's most illustrious member. Allegra takes over, and the new centerpiece becomes peonies and delphiniums.
Allegra approaches Mildred asking her to go to lunch. Mildred's taken aback by the offer, curious why the woman would want to have lunch. She realizes that she'd probably get to know Allegra if the woman will be an integral member of the church.
During lunch, Allegra tells Mildred that Julian's proposed. Mildred congratulates Allegra. Allegra says that she and Julian were worried that Mildred would be upset. Mildred convinces Allegra that she isn't in love with Julian and is happy for the couple.
During the conversation, Allegra surmises what will happen to Winifred when they marry. It wouldn't be appropriate for Winifred to stay in the house with her and Julian. Allegra suggests that Winifred move in with Mildred. Mildred's so shocked that she's speechless. Since the idea's so wholly inappropriate and absurd, Mildred laughs and refuses.
Mildred runs into Julian, congratulating him on his engagement. Julian says Winifred had always hoped that Mildred would become his wife. Once again, Mildred says that she isn't in love with Julian. More than ever, Mildred considers herself to be one of the rejected ones.
Mildred runs into Everard on the street as she's coming out of her office. Everard says he wants to go for drinks. Mildred's horrified and says she isn't appropriately dressed to be in a man's company, but Everard disagrees. Over drinks, Everard says that Helena's in love with him but that the feelings aren't returned. Even if Everard did love Helena, he doesn't believe in divorce and could never marry her.
Everard invites Mildred to have dinner at his mother's house. Before they go, Everard warns Mildred that his mother's eccentric. Mildred says that as a clergyman's daughter, she's used to dealing with all kinds of people. Mrs. Bone's fascinated by birds and worms, among other things and chats easily with Mildred. During the conversation, Mildred discovers that Mrs. Bone isn't a Christian and simply tolerates Everard's conversion. Everard tells Mildred he admires the way she handled the dinner with his mother on the way home.
As Mildred passes by the Napiers' door on her way home, she smells burnt potatoes. There's no answer at the door, so Mildred finds a saucepan on the stove with the water boiled out of it and potatoes hopelessly scorched. Rocky says he completely forgot about the potatoes, and he's upset because Helena's left him. Rocky knows that Helena's in love with Everard and assumes that she's gone to his flat. Mildred calls Everard to find that Helena isn't there.
Julian appears uneasy during the evening, particularly when he finds Rocky in Mildred's apartment. Rocky tells the story about Helena leaving him. Julian slips into the role of a pastor and consoles Rocky. Mildred feels increasingly uncomfortable escaping to clean up the mess in the Napiers' apartment. While Mildred's cleaning, Helena calls and asks Mildred to pack a suitcase. She has gone to stay with Miss Clovis (Sally Field). When Mildred delivers the suitcase to Miss Clovis, the woman says that Rocky's a brute and that it's a good thing Helena has left him.
Mildred goes to visit Winifred, and the two commiserate about their individual situations. Mildred's upset about Rocky, and Helena and Winifred are becoming disenchanted with Allegra.
Mrs. Morris (Jayma Mays) comes to Mildred's apartment and talks about the Napiers' breakup. Mrs. Morris feels that Helena isn't a good wife. Mrs. Morris goes on to talk about how it is unnatural for a woman to live alone. The conversation only reinforces Mildred's current belief that excellent women are always left behind. Mildred becomes increasingly sad and upset.
Miss Clovis invites Mildred to tea. They both have a long conversation with Helen, who decided to collect all her things. Mildred tells Helena about the movers and the items Rocky requested to be taken to the cottage. Helena's annoyed, asks Mildred to write a letter to Rocky asking for some of the furniture's return.
Mildred writes to Rocky at the cottage. Rocky returns the letter and invites Mildred to come over for a weekend. Mildred says she'd love to accept, yet Rocky doesn't indicate a particular date. Mildred feels it isn't proper for her to initiate the visit.
Everard waits for Mildred on the street once again and takes her to lunch. During lunch, Everard asks about Helena and if there are any plans for reconciliation or divorce. The topic of marriage comes up, and Everard believes that excellent women aren't for marrying. William stops by the table and seems to be jealous of Mildred's lunch with Everard.
Mildred and Dora go on their annual September holiday. This year, they have chosen to go to Devonshire to visit a famous abbey. Mildred loves the monastery and the religious connotations, while Dora feels the entire scene is over-commercialized. The pair goes into the village to have lunch and runs into Helena. The three go to tea together, and Helena asks Mildred to write to Rocky because she wants him back.
Winifred comes to Mildred's apartment one evening, completely overwrought. It's pouring down rain, and Winifred's in her slippers and not wearing a coat. Mildred invites her up to the apartment and learns that Winifred's relationship with Allegra has completely disintegrated. Winifred says she cannot spend another minute in the house with Allegra. When Julian was out with the boys' club, Allegra turned on Winifred. Allegra said many terrible things, to which Winifred was too shocked to reply. Winifred says as she wants to live with Mildred. Mildred stumbles, not sure how to convince her friend that everything will work out.
Julian arrives at Mildred's apartment, equally upset. Julian tells Mildred and Winifred that the engagement's off. Although Julian had been previously oblivious to Allegra's ways, a huge argument broke out regarding Winifred and Allegra's expectations. Julian says Allegra's left the vicarage. Mildred does her best to comfort her friends.
Mrs. Morris arrives at Mildred's apartment and already knows the news about the breakup. Apparently, Allegra says that everyone is glad Allegra is gone. Everyone is now wondering if Mildred will marry Julian after an appropriate period.
Mildred feels terrible and decides to go to bed early. Everard calls and invites Mildred to dinner, but she declines. Later, Mildred feels guilty as if no one would be there to cook for Everard. Mildred wonders who else Everard called and if she was the first person he thought of regarding dinner. Mildred wants to be the first and unsure why. Mildred becomes restless, and can no longer bear the thought of staying home alone, so she goes to the vicarage.
Rocky visits Mildred, saying he and Helena are together again. Mildred congratulates him, and she'll be glad to have them near because she missed them terribly. Rocky says they'll be moving out of the flat and live at their country cottage. All of the other issues involving work and Helena's lack of domestication weigh nothing now.
Mildred tells Rocky about Julian's breakup, and once again, Rocky says it'd be appropriate for Mildred to be the one to marry the vicar after a proper interval of time. For once, Mildred only gives a small argument.
The church holds a bazaar, one of the main fundraisers for the church throughout the year. Mildred explains to one of the other parishioners that the people who come to the bazaar aren't always lovely.
There is much talk about Julian and the breakup. It seems that many people are happy. Julian won't be marrying Allegra. Mildred thought everyone liked Allegra, but several people come forward to voice the opposite. The topic of Mildred becoming involved with Julian comes up once again. Mildred hears this opinion so often that she barely protests. Mildred begins to question her feelings for Julian. She's well-versed in being closely related to a clergy member and knows precisely what would be expected of her. Additionally, Julian and Winifred have been dear friends, making the transition all the easier.
At the bazaar, everyone fusses over Julian and tries to make sure that he's content. Julian accepts the kindnesses but obviously just wants things to return to the way they were before Allegra appeared.
Helena and Rocky invite Mildred to the flat to say goodbye and to thank her for all she has done. Mildred reminds Rocky that he'd promised to donate to the church as thanks for Julian's kindness.
Mildred continues to be fascinated with the Learned Society and makes a point of walking by the building one afternoon. Mildred sees Everard with Miss Clovis. Mildred jumps to conclusions and thinks that Everard is interested in Miss Clovis as a suitable wife, considering she'd help him with his anthropology and archeology work. Mildred tries to convince herself that any gentleman would take a woman's arm when crossing the street and that Everard's gesture meant no more than that. Yet, she cannot shake the image of Everard with Miss Clovis.
As the new tenants arrive at the flat, Mildred's somewhat discouraged to learn that they're two female teachers. While they seem kind enough, Mildred was hoping for another couple or single men.
Mildred visits the vicarage, and things seem to have returned to normal since Allegra's departure. Julian tells Mildred that he learned the church's anonymous donor's identity and reveals Allegra. Apparently, the donation was a way to get Julian's attention. It's cleverly crafted to appear as a pure charity gesture. Mildred cannot help but wonder if making such a donation would ingratiate her to Julian.
There is much conversation among the congregants about Julian's future and if he'd ever married. Many people think Mildred should become his wife since they're friends and completely compatible. Others believe that Julian should never marry and continue to run the vicarage with Winifred.
Everard calls Mildred, inviting her to dinner at his flat. Mildred's prepared to cook for Everard, thinking that men routinely don't prepare for themselves. All the way to the flat, Mildred wonders who else will be present at the dinner.
When Mildred arrives at the flat, Everard's alone. She expects that they'll wait for Miss Clovis, who must be running late. When Mildred asks if Miss Clovis will be joining them, Everard's surprised. He attempts to convince Mildred that while Miss Clovis's an esteemed and respectable woman, there's no relationship. He isn't interested in her in that way. Mildred is still unsure as Miss Clovis would be the perfect person to help Everard with his work.
Everard talks about the book and asks Mildred if she'd be interested in reading the proofs and creating the indices. Mildred is thrilled yet unsure that she'll be appropriate to do the job. Mildred explains that the topic is entirely foreign to her. Everard insists that she's capable, and he can teach her how to work. Although it's a great deal to ask, Mildred readily agrees.
Although Julian and Everard's relationships are unclear, Mildred realizes that her life has become complete and worthwhile. Mildred's happy that she'll be a part of Everard's work and spend much of her free time caring for Julian. Perhaps being an excellent woman isn't the worst thing in the world, after all.
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