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An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)
Released By: New Line Home Entertainment   Rating: R   In Theaters: N/A
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Studio: New Line Home Entertainment
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Mike Newell
Language: English
Official Website: N/A
Theatrical Release: N/A
Home Video Release: N/A
Cast: Alan Rickman, Alun Armstrong, Hugh Grant, Peter Firth, Rita Tushingham, Georgina Cates
Published ID: 5786
UPC: 794043785825,
Plot: A misleading title and a different type of performance from Hugh Grant are two of the offbeat features of An Awfully Big Adventure. Virginal theatre fanatic Stella (Georgina Cates), who speaks with her dead mother by phone, joins a theatrical troupe in 1947 England headed by manipulative director Meredith Potter (Grant). Stella quickly falls for Potter, but he doesn't return her affections, driving her into the arms of the troupe's arrogant star, P.L. O'Hara (Alan Rickman). O'Hara eventually takes Stella's virginity, although she secretly remains devoted to Potter. More secrets of the troupe are revealed at the story's climax, although nothing is really resolved to any of the characters' satisfaction. Not quite a satire and not quite a drama, An Awfully Big Adventure is occasionally mean-spirited and frequently dour, which may just be a result of its subject matter. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
IDDateTimeTitleReviewHelpfulVotesTotalVotes
A Must Have for Alan Rickman Fans
Added 3/15/2009

Thankfully this movie was released on DVD. I owned the Video Cassette but am happy to own the DVD version now.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
An Awfully Big Adventure
Added 1/14/2009

This movie is definitely interesting! First off, it's fun to see Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman in their earlier years. This movie is darkly humorous. The reason the movie is worth watching is for the ending. What a shocker! It's truly jaw-dropping and changes the whole tone of the movie. However, the british accents are thick and the voices a tad low, so I would highly recommend turning on sub-titles. It's a good movie, and it is definitely worth watching.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Some more Rickman, please...
Added 1/18/2008

Like others have said, I was surprised that it was not a light-hearted comedy and disappointed that Alan Rickman's character doesn't arrive until halfway through; but it was wonderfully cast and though very disturbing, I feel it needs to watched again.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
A very quiet classic.
Added 12/15/2007

I've loved this movie for years, and bought the DVD as soon as it was released. As other reviewers have said, the cover copy is completely misleading. It's a tragedy of sad, warped lives, with bits of humor, some of it black, thrown into the mix. To get an idea of Georgina Cates's amazing versatility, I recommend Clay Pigeons.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
An Awfully Big Role for Rickman, which he handles extraordinarily well
Added 11/21/2007

Eager for more Alan Rickman (Die Hard, AHarry Potter 1-5) goodness, I watched An Awfully Big Adventure.

Unfortunately, even though Alan Rickman gets top billing for this picture, he doesn't appear in it until a good half an hour into it. When he does, Rickman commands the stage (literally and as part of the movie's plot). There is one particular look that Rickman shoots Hugh Grant's character that alone makes it worth watching the rest of the two-hour movie. Rickman's performance never falls below excellence and his portrayal of Hook is mesmerizing (and the bits that we see of his stage role are more powerful than even when Dustin Hoffman played the famous pirate in Hook.

Georgina Cates' first major movie performance is impressive because she is able to match Rickman's intensity and bring about pure innocence to her character. Furthermore, at 20, she looks much younger than her 16-year-old character.

Mike Newell's direction is impressive in this film. And the costumes are authentic for the period.

Seeing the backstage of the late 1940s theater makes for an interesting drama, but more so makes the revelation more plausible, although it is highly predictable and as Dickensian as it is soap operaish. All, in all, a must-see film for anyone who has ever fallen under Rickman's spell.

0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
A Must Have for Alan Rickman Fans
Added 3/15/2009

Thankfully this movie was released on DVD. I owned the Video Cassette but am happy to own the DVD version now.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
An Awfully Big Adventure
Added 1/14/2009

This movie is definitely interesting! First off, it's fun to see Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman in their earlier years. This movie is darkly humorous. The reason the movie is worth watching is for the ending. What a shocker! It's truly jaw-dropping and changes the whole tone of the movie. However, the british accents are thick and the voices a tad low, so I would highly recommend turning on sub-titles. It's a good movie, and it is definitely worth watching.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
Some more Rickman, please...
Added 1/18/2008

Like others have said, I was surprised that it was not a light-hearted comedy and disappointed that Alan Rickman's character doesn't arrive until halfway through; but it was wonderfully cast and though very disturbing, I feel it needs to watched again.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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