Review of movie The Bookshop

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Rating:2.5/5

I was very disappointed in this movie. The trailer certainly promised more than the film delivers. First of all, the pace is painfully slow. The main character is almost painfully boring, and none of her supposed enthusiasm for literature comes through. Then there is her relationship with the Bill Nighy character - they meet once, have a very awkward and dull conversation, and we're supposed to believe that they have grown close somehow? The main problem is that nothing makes sense because the characters and their motivations are not established. I haven't read the book, so I was wondering whether this was a bad adaptation of a good book or a faithful adaptation of an awful book? I didn't care about any of them, the supposed tension seemed contrived, and none of the relationships rang true. It was shallow, and frustratingly dull. Even the ending was something plucked out of another novel - a better one, that knows how to develop characters and situations. This was a bad rip off of a Bronte sister novel. I am giving it two stars only because I like Bill Nighy, even though he is utterly wasted in this movie.