Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson star in the 2000 British comedy Saving Grace, written and directed by Nigel Cole. Mark Crowdy and Ferguson wrote the screenplay. The movie, set in Cornwall, tells the tale of a middle-aged widow. She must cultivate marijuana in her greenhouse with her gardener Matthew to keep her property after her negligent husband left her in a huge debt. Filming took place in London and the Cornish villages of Boscastle and Port Isaac. It was co-produced by Fine Line Features, Homerun Productions, Portman Entertainment, Sky Pictures, and Wave Pictures. The movie had its global debut 2000 Sundance Film Festival, where it was distributed by 20th Century Fox and won Cole the Audience Award for World Cinema. Brenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson star in the 2000 British comedy Saving Grace, written and directed by Nigel Cole.
QUICK EXPLANATION OF THE PLOT SAVING GRACE
Cornish housewife Grace Trevethyn learns shortly after her husband’s funeral that she has inherited his enormous debts. Her husband died “suspiciously” after “jumping” out of a plane without a parachute. She will lose her house and every item she owns unless she can raise a sizable sum of money. Grace accepts Matthew’s offer to continue working for free, provided she takes care of his ailing cannabis plants. Matthew is her devoted gardener. She tends to the plants well, and after speaking with Matthew, she realizes that they could quickly grow and yield a large amount of cannabis. Grace decides to alter her greenhouse for the project because she has no choice, and a creditor is phoning her at home. Matthew’s girlfriend, Nicky, disagrees with the plan, especially because she just found out she is pregnant by Martin Bamford, the local doctor, and friend.
DON’T FORGET TO SEE THE CAST OF SAVING GRACE
Brenda Blethyn plays Grace Trevethyn, a recently widowed middle-aged woman who, to maintain her family home and avoid financial collapse, turns to grow marijuana under the guidance of her gardener. Craig Ferguson plays Grace’s gardener Matthew Stewart. Martin Clunes plays Matthew’s friend Dr. Martin Bamford. Clunes’ persona was taken off, and the story of his journey to Cornwall was the subject of two separate movies. In the role of Nicky, Matthew’s scowling girlfriend, Valerie Edmond. After a broadcasting call, Edmond was selected for the community’s fishing captain position. As Jacques Chevalier, Tcheky Karyo. Jacques’ bodyguard China MacFarlane is played by Jamie Foreman. Bill Bailey plays Honey’s marijuana dealer Vince. Honey Chambers, as played by Diana Quick. Phyllida Law plays Margaret Sutton, and Tristan Sturrock plays Harvey. Linda Kerr Scott Rev. Gerald Percy plays Diana Skinner and is played by Leslie Phillips. Mrs. Hopkins, played by Denise Coffey. Charlie is Paul Brooke.
THE SAVING GRACE SERIES: AUDIENCE REACTION
The movie received favorable reviews from critics. According to the website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews, 89 reviews with an average rating of 6/10 were written by critics, 63% of whom gave the movie a favorable review. The consensus reads, “Saving Grace is indeed redeemed by some charming performances, most notably Brenda Blethyn’s. The plot and premise for gags are minor.” The movie has a 62/100 rating on Metacritic, which employs a normalized rating system based on reviews from 32 critics, suggesting “generally favorable reviews.” The movie received three out of five stars from Jonathan Crow of Allmovie, who called it a “wacky British comedy” with a “Waking Ned Divine (1998) meets Up in Smoke (1978)” vibe. According to Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers, a crowd-pleasing comedy in the vein of The Full Monty and Waking Ned Devine. He recorded that “Every turn in this film reveals its conclusion. But Saving Grace becomes a comedic high because of Blethyn’s solid-gold appeal.”