Miranda (2002 film)

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Miranda
DVD cover
Directed byMarc Munden
Written byRob Young
Produced byLaurence Bowen
StarringChristina Ricci
Kyle MacLachlan
John Simm
John Hurt
CinematographyBen Davis
Edited byWilliam Diver
Music byMurray Gold
Distributed byFirst Look Pictures
Release date
Running time
93 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Miranda is a 2002 British comedy film starring Christina Ricci, Kyle MacLachlan, John Simm, John Hurt, Tamsin Greig and Julian Rhind-Tutt.[2] The film is classified as a romance/thriller by IMDb.

Plot[edit]

Frank (Simm), a librarian in the United Kingdom, falls in love with a mysterious American dancer named Miranda (Ricci).[3] Frank appears naive, but his character is as complex as Miranda's. Graphic scenes of sex and seduction illustrate Frank's fantasy and unrealistic love for Miranda. She suddenly disappears, and he tracks her down in London, discovering she is actually a con artist. He leaves her, returning to Northern England.

Miranda and her boss (Hurt), who not so secretly "loves" her, are in business selling buildings that they don't own to unwitting customers. These buildings are really being prepared for demolition. In one scene in which Miranda is negotiating the sale of a warehouse with Nailor (MacLachlan), Nailor sees men putting down cable around the building. He asked Miranda what were they doing and she replies that they are putting in cable TV when, in fact, they are preparing the warehouse for demolition. After making a big score, by successfully conning Nailor to buy the warehouse, her boss leaves her, and Nailor seeks revenge against Miranda.

Frank realizes that he should not have left her, and returns to London, with a very quirky friend who is instrumental in saving Miranda from a knife-wielding Nailor. While Frank's friend distracts Nailor with fancy jiu-jitsu moves, Frank slams a table over Nailor's head. The film ends in comic relief with Frank and Miranda living the good life off Miranda's ill-gotten gains.

Cast[edit]

Filming locations[edit]

Filmed on location in London and Scarborough.[4][5]

Critical reception[edit]

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 44% based on 9 reviews. BBC Movies review labelled the film as a "limp, homegrown romantic comedy" and "a soul-sapping stinker'.[2] The Radio Times listed the film as being a Comedy-Romance "but featuring little of either" and describing the film as a "dull British embarrassment" with "one of Christina Ricci's worst performances to date".[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "MIRANDA | British Board of Film Classification". bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "BBC – Films – review – Miranda". BBC. 14 October 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  3. ^ "'When I cry on screen, those are real tears – that's how I cry". The Scotsman. 26 October 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  4. ^ James, Simon R H (2007). London film location guide. London: Batsford. p. 17. ISBN 9780713490626.
  5. ^ "HOLLYWOOD IS HERE!". The Scarborough News. 21 March 2001. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  6. ^ Jones, Alan. "Miranda – review | cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 April 2018.

External links[edit]