''Very Annie Mary'' is a 2001 musical-comedy film, written and directed by

Sara Sugarman Sara Sugarman (born 13 October 1962) is a Welsh actress and filmmaker whose work includes Disney's '' Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' (2004) and '' Very Annie Mary'' (2001). She has also appeared in films including '' Dealers'' (1989) and ...

and starring

Rachel Griffiths Rachel Anne Griffiths (born in 1968) is an Australian actress. Raised primarily in Melbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian series ''Secrets'' before being cast in a supporting role in the comedy ''Muriel's Wedding'' ...

and

Jonathan Pryce Sir Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor who is known for his performances on stage and in film and television. He has received numerous awards, including two Tony Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. In 2021 he was ...

. It is a coming-of-age tale, set in south Wales, about a woman in her 30s who lives with her verbally abusive father. It was filmed on location in

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

and at Workingman's Institute and Memorial Hall, Newbridge, Wales.

Premise

After her father suffers a stroke, a woman is forced to take care of him but uses the circumstances to emancipate herself and find the courage to sing once again.

Cast

as Annie Mary Pugh *

as Jack Pugh *

Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd (; (born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He first came to public attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' (1997), and then for his portrayal of Horatio Hornblower in the ''Hornblower (TV series), Hornblower'' seri ...

as Hob *

Matthew Rhys Matthew Rhys Evans ( ; born 8 November 1974) is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Kevin Walker in '' Brothers & Sisters'' (2006–2011) and Philip Jennings in ''The Americans'' (2013–2018), for which he received two Golden Globe Awar ...

as Nob *

Kenneth Griffith Kenneth Griffith (born Kenneth Reginald Griffiths, 12 October 1921 – 25 June 2006) was a Welsh actor and documentary filmmaker. His outspoken views made him a controversial figure, especially when presenting documentaries which have been ca ...

as Minister *

Ruth Madoc Ruth Madoc (born Margaret Ruth Llewellyn Baker; 16 April 1943 – 9 December 2022) was a British actress who had a career on stage and screen spanning over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Gladys Pugh in the BBC television comedy '' ...

as Mrs. Ifans *

Joanna Page Joanna Louise Page (born 23 March 1977) is a Welsh actress and presenter. She appeared as Stacey Shipman in the BAFTA-winning television series ''Gavin & Stacey''. She played Dora Spenlow in the 1999 adaptation of ''David Copperfield'', and f ...

as Bethan Bevan * Anna Mountford as Blodwyn * Josh Richards as Mr. Bevans *

Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews programmes an ...

as Nerys Minor roles in the film are played by

Ray Gravell Raymond William Robert Gravell (12 September 1951 – 31 October 2007) was a Welsh rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli RFC. At international level, Gravell earned 23 caps for Wales and was selected for the 1980 British Lions t ...

Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer-songwriter best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists ...

and

Ruth Jones Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones (born 22 September 1966) is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the award-winning BBC sitcom ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019). Jones has also appeared in various ...

, among others.

Music

The film features the following songs: * "

Nessun Dorma "" (; English: "Let no one sleep") is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera ''Turandot'' (text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni) and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, (the unknown prince), ...

" * " Happy Birthday" * " I Hear You Calling Me" * " Come Back to Sorrento" * " Oh I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside" * "

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...

" * "

Dance Club Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

" * " We'll Keep a Welcome" * "

O mio babbino caro "" ("Oh my dear Papa”) is a soprano aria from the opera ''Gianni Schicchi'' (1918) by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy s ...

" * " Love's Old Sweet Song" * "

Boum! "Boum!" (, onomatopoeia similar to "boom" in English) is a popular 1938 song by the French singer/songwriter Charles Trenet which won him the Grand Prix du Disque. Its light, irreverent lyrics express a ''joie de vivre'' typical in French popular ...

" * The Words of the "Sermon on the Mount" performed to the tune of " Living Doll" * " I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" * "

You Can't Get a Man with a Gun "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" is a song from the 1946 musical '' Annie Get Your Gun'', written by Irving Berlin. It was originally performed by Ethel Merman. In the song, Annie Oakley sings about how a girl with talent as a sharpshooter neve ...

" * "

Cotton-Eyed Joe "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (also known as "Cotton-Eye Joe") is a traditional American country folk song popular at various times throughout the United States and Canada, although today it is most commonly associated with the American South. The song is ...

" * "

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau "" () is the official national anthem of Wales. The title, taken from the first words of the song, means "Old Land of My Fathers" in Welsh, usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan James and ...

" * "

Myfanwy ''Myfanwy'' (; a woman's name derived ) is a popular Welsh song, composed by Joseph Parry and first published in 1875. Background Sources differ as to whether Dr. Parry composed the music for an existing poem by Richard Davies (" Mynyddog Mwy ...

" * " We'll Gather Lilacs" * "

What's Love Got to Do with It What's Love Got to Do with It may refer to: *Tina Turner: ** "What's Love Got to Do with It" (song), a 1984 song by Tina Turner ** ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993 film), a biographical film about Tina Turner ** ''What's Love Got to Do with ...

" * " Forever and Ever" * "Whistling Bowery Boy" * ''

Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn "Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn" ( en, Watching the White Wheat) is an 18th-century traditional Welsh love song. It describes the tragic love affair between Wil Hopcyn and Ann Thomas (The Maid of Cefn Ydfa) from the village of Llangynwyd in Glamorganshi ...

'' * " Y.M.C.A." '93 Remix * "

O Sole Mio "O sole mio" () is a well-known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its Neapolitan language lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865–1917) and Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972).. The title tran ...

" * " Don't Stop" * " Dear Hearts and Gentle People"

Production

The film was shot in the middle of 1999, with filming taking place in the Garw Valley in

, Wales, posing as the fictional village of "Ogw" (a play on the name of the Ogmore Valley's Welsh name of

Ogwr The Borough of Ogwr was one of six districts of Mid Glamorgan in Wales, which existed from 1974 to 1996. History It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the urban districts of Bridgend, Maesteg, Ogmore and Garw and Porthcawl, a ...

). It was scheduled to be presented at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and the

Dinard Festival of British Cinema Dinard (; br, Dinarzh, ; Gallo: ''Dinard'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department, Brittany, northwestern France. Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a holiday destination, and this ...

but failed to show at either event.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds an approval rating of , based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "An exercise in strained whimsy and saccharine sentiment." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, the film has a weighted average score of 33 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". ''Variety'' called it a "half-klutzy, half-engaging eccentric comedy...bolstered by good turns from leads Rachel Griffiths and Jonathan Pryce" but "falling prey to a general disorganization in tone and structure." ''The Guardian'' called it "a broad comedy with a very derivative Monty-ish plot, but likeable and good-natured." ''The New York Times'' called the film "alternately mushy and farcical" with an "undertone of satire" that keeps the film from "choking on its own cuteness"; it "churns up a few genuinely funny bits" including a climax "that is almost worth waiting for."

References

External links

* * {{rotten-tomatoes, id=very_annie_mary, title=Very Annie Mary British musical comedy films Welsh-language films 2000s musical comedy films British coming-of-age comedy films 2001 films Films shot in Wales Films set in Wales Films produced by Graham Broadbent Films scored by Stephen Warbeck 2001 comedy films 2000s coming-of-age comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s British films