84 Charing Cross Road

It is a very pleasant film with a fireplace-kinda-warm feeling, and even though it has flaws, I would love to see it again in a while.

A pleasant but unremarkable small film.

Difficult to grade this fairly since it delivers exactly what it promises: a very well made film about... the polite mail correspondence of 2 average people - often about books & obscure books at that. It's easy to see that the only reason this got made was bc Mel Brooks made it for his wife Bancroft who loved the book. Still Hopkins does quiet despair better than any actor alive (he can have the saddest eyes in the world) & the climax is unexpected & touching. But it can be dull getting there.

"Sometimes a film sets out not to have you on the edge of your seat, but to have you reclining thoughtfully in it."

I can't say there's anything profound for me to grab onto when I watch it, which is what I tend to desire from pared down human stories. But that can also be considered a credit to the film. Because it speaks to the tastes of a select audience who would be moved by this tale, and because it's thoroughly effective on that level of integrity, it's destined to be a cherished little critic-proof installment in their personal home entertainment collections.