Went to the pictures on Sunday after a (very) long break to see the film of the Alan Bennett play Allelujah. I should note however that the film is actually scripted by Heidi Thomas (of TV’s Call The Midwife fame). It is set in a geriatric hospital unit in Yorkshire populated by lovable eccentrics and starring a formidable selection of seasoned British acting talent (Judi Dench, Jennifer Saunders, David Bradley and Derek Jacobi star amongst others), Allelujah should have been a slam dunk of a crowd-pleaser. Unfortunately, Richard Eyre’s film is jarringly uneven: such a collision of tones and conflicting messages that it undermines its own earnest coda in support of the NHS. That’s a straight lift from a Guardian review – pains me to say it, but that’s pretty much spot on. It misses the type of dialogue that only Bennett can write (although there are a few near misses) and the ‘surprise’ ending was like something from a different film. The array of great acting talent still makes it a worthwhile trip – just don’t travel far to see it!
