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Keeping Mum

Play trailer Poster for Keeping Mum R 2006 1h 43m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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57% Tomatometer 89 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson), vicar of the British village Little Wallop, is busy composing the perfect sermon. So busy, in fact, that he fails to notice his bored wife's (Kristin Scott Thomas) flirtation with her American golf instructor (Patrick Swayze), his daughter's revolving set of boyfriends, or his son's status as the favorite target of bullies. Enter Grace Hawkins (Maggie Smith), the new housekeeper, who has a drastic solution to the family's problems.
Keeping Mum

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The stellar cast, including Kristin Scott Thomas and Dame Maggie Smith, is certainly an asset, but this black comedy is too uneven.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Johnson struggles to find the proper tone: the serial murders aren’t horrible enough to be funny, and the characters don’t respond as if they’re horrible at all. As a result the black humor thins into gray fog. Jun 23, 2022 Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle The Ealing of yore is gone, and Guiness, ex-ladykiller, is now and forever, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here's mud in your eye. Rated: 2/5 Oct 30, 2006 Full Review Randy Cordova Arizona Republic A dark comedy that isn't dark or particularly funny, Keeping Mum ends up being an exercise in heavy-handed whimsy. Rated: 2.5/5 Oct 26, 2006 Full Review Kat Halstead Common Sense Media It's slight but charming, and fun in places, with the veteran actors just managing to keep the undisciplined screenplay on track until the grisly end. Rated: 3/5 May 5, 2021 Full Review Simon Weaving Screenwize Don't expect Rowan Atkinson in full Bean or Blackadder flight: this is much more delicate Country Life comeuppance at the hands of a deliciously dark fairy godmother. Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 30, 2009 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean") plays straight-man Reverend Walter Goodfellow to Grace Hawkins (acted with keen wit by Maggie Smith) his genteel serial-killer housekeeper in this delicious British black comedy. Rated: B+ Apr 20, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Glafira Regina O The pinnacle of British humour. Very dark humour. Two brilliant actresses – Kristin Scott Thomas and Maggie Smith – only add to the overall picture. The film markets itself as a family movie… but I wouldn’t recommend watching it with your actual family. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/20/25 Full Review Barrie S I quite enjoyed watching Keeping Mum…excellent cast, quite amusing at times and a few twists & turns. Didn’t quite expect the ending…very clever. Would have got 5 stars had it not been for the use of the f word several times in the first half. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/19/24 Full Review Patrick M This fun and entertaining movie from almost 20 years ago boasts a stellar cast that in lesser hands may not have been as enjoyable. With 2024 being such a bomb year for movies, Critics who wrote a negative review were way off the mark as the is a must see movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/17/24 Full Review steve d Not remotely fun or interesting. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review celine m Can't think of a better combination than Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith. Absolutely hilarious. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave s Kristin Scott Thomas and Rowan Atkinson star as the parents of the Goodfellow family, a typical nuclear family living in an English village and trying to come to terms with a variety of family issues. When Grace (Maggie Smith), a woman with a murderous past, shows up as the new housekeeper, the problems experienced by the family mysteriously and permanently disappear. Keeping Mum is filled with black comedy, the majority of it very effective thanks to a clever script and sound performances from the three lead actors. Despite a music score that sounds like it from a sitcom and the fact that it feels like it's slipping into slapstick towards the end, it's a pretty enjoyable film with a surprising and enjoyable twist in the final act. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Keeping Mum

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Cast & Crew

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Niall Johnson

Director

Rowan Atkinson

Walter Goodfellow

Kristin Scott Thomas

Gloria Goodfellow

Maggie Smith

Grace Hawkins

Patrick Swayze

Lance

Tamsin Egerton

Holly Goodfellow

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Movie Info

Synopsis Walter Goodfellow (Rowan Atkinson), vicar of the British village Little Wallop, is busy composing the perfect sermon. So busy, in fact, that he fails to notice his bored wife's (Kristin Scott Thomas) flirtation with her American golf instructor (Patrick Swayze), his daughter's revolving set of boyfriends, or his son's status as the favorite target of bullies. Enter Grace Hawkins (Maggie Smith), the new housekeeper, who has a drastic solution to the family's problems.
Director
Niall Johnson
Producer
Julia Palau, Matthew Payne
Screenwriter
Richard Russo, Niall Johnson
Production Co
Summit Entertainment, Tusk, Isle of Man Film
Rating
R (Some Sexual Content/Nudity|Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
British English
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Sep 15, 2006
Release Date (DVD)
Feb 20, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.6M
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital