Genevieve

Released Jan 18, 1954

1h 26m

Comedy

List

88%

Tomatometer

8 Reviews

75%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

In this upbeat British comedy, two friends enter an antique car rally. Alan McKim (John Gregson) drives his beloved 1904 automobile, named Genevieve, while Ambrose Claverhouse (Kenneth More) takes his vintage Spyker car. Alan and Ambrose bring their wives (Dinah Sheridan, Kay Kendall) along for the wild ride from London to Brighton, and the trek soon turns fiercely competitive, each driver devising clever ways to sabotage the other in hopes of winning the race.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Exquisitely funny comedy with a fabulous musical theme.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 2, 2004

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

A classic “road comedy” that’s almost more interested in the road and the cars on it than the men who insist on puttering ancient or “Veteran” cars, as the Brits call them, to life, and their long-suffering better halves.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 11, 2023

Full Review

Reg Whitley

Daily Mirror (UK)

A picture that packs a laugh a minute.

Nov 30, 2021

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Some of it is repetitive, but the genial yarn stays in high gear from start to finish.

Jan 8, 2020

Full Review

MFB Critics

Monthly Film Bulletin

This lively comedy is one of the best things to have happened in British films over the last few years.

Feb 1, 2018

Full Review

John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

...a delightfully humorous frolic. Fun stuff, this.

Rated: 8/10

Sep 7, 2011

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Leaburn

This film was very average 🤏

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

isla s

This film is quite funny in parts and certainly harks back to a different time, given it dates from the 1950s. Some comments made had me cringing a little as they seemed a bit sexist (such as assuming the wife would have no interest in cars or driving and so on) but there's nothing graphically rude, there are some mildly saucy references, one or two mentions literally of making love and thats about it. I quite liked the wife, Wendy McKim, who was quite prepared to stand up for herself. As an aside/note, its said in this film that in days gone by you used to have to go to a chemists to buy petrol for a car and that you had to be accompanied by a man waving a red flag before it was legal to drive. I suppose that must have been the case in the late 1800s and early 1900s - those were obviously different times indeed!. There's also a lovely trumpet solo played by one of the female characters - I certainly enjoyed that. An example of the dialogue includes - 'my dear girl, when that car gets started, you'll be intoxicated by the exuberance of your own velocity!' you don't hear things like that these days, do you(?!) charming indeed... The comedy is mostly visual/slapstick based. There's a strong theme of competitiveness present, including in relation to the women the men are involved with. The men come across as grown up kids, having arguments and being annoyed at the littlest thing, their seemingly quite petty. I enjoyed seeing how the women responded to certain situations, how their stood up for themselves etc. Suffice to say there are plenty of domestic tiffs present. I'd say the women come off as the more intellectual, reasonable people overall. Would I recommend it?. Watching the film, I distinctly found it amusing, it entertained me for the hour and a half running time and so I'd recommend it on that basis.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

William L

If you had to put a single word to this film, it would be something along the lines of 'genial'; a very British blending of politeness and amiability coupled with a love of the conservative and slightly old-fashioned. The particular unrelenting and somewhat prudish patriotism that the film celebrates is only reinforced by a bit of production trivia - the script originally called for a pair of early British vehicles (as opposed to their ultimate Dutch and French substitutes), but no British collector could be located who wold subject their precious vehicles to such potential abuse, so strong was their affinity for them! There are melodramatic elements that never seem to really land quite as well (including musing on past indiscretions that are rather unresolved by the film's end), and the comedy is far from sharp (more 'sensible chuckle' territory), so I can hardly call the film an unqualified success, but can understand why its peculiarities would appeal to someone with an affinity for the romanticized idea of Old England. Just to clarify how English these characters are: when competing in a race that risks the majority of their life savings, a couple refuses to speed off rather than break a conversation with a polite random passersby. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/03/20

Full Review

John L

Genevieve defines the meaning of 'charming'; quiet simply charming!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/30/16

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie was so bad, I didn't want to keep watching, but as the 'best British comedy,' I felt it had to get better. It didn't. I didn't laugh once. Four people being mean and immature to each other is not funny in this case. If a car backfiring and breaking down will make you laugh, then maybe you will enjoy it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Charming british comedy based on the London to Brighton car race.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

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Henry Cornelius

Director

Dinah Sheridan

Wendy McKim

John Gregson

Alan McKim

Kay Kendall

Rosalind Peters

Kenneth More

Ambrose Claverhouse

Geoffrey Keen

Policeman

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Synopsis

In this upbeat British comedy, two friends enter an antique car rally. Alan McKim (John Gregson) drives his beloved 1904 automobile, named Genevieve, while Ambrose Claverhouse (Kenneth More) takes his vintage Spyker car. Alan and Ambrose bring their wives (Dinah Sheridan, Kay Kendall) along for the wild ride from London to Brighton, and the trek soon turns fiercely competitive, each driver devising clever ways to sabotage the other in hopes of winning the race.

Director: Henry Cornelius
Producer: Earl St. John
Screenwriter: William Rose
Production Co: Sirius Productions
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 18, 1954, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Feb 15, 1954
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2017
Runtime: 1h 26m

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