R 2023 Mystery/Comedy 1h 42m
It’s a rainy day in Minnesota and I was able to sneak out to a matinee at the local AMC. I stumbled across Wicked Little Letters which I will confess was not on my radar. It’s probably best described as the sort of quirky, British mystery one might find on Acorn TV but with an R rating, more humour (spelled with the bonus ‘u’ because it’s British humor), and a top-notch cast.
Academy Award winner Olivia Colman plays Edith Swan, a repressed, sanctimonious, spinster living with her parents in England circa 1920. When Edith begins receiving poison-pen letters, all signs point to the anonymous sender as the loud, brash, Irish, Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) who lives next door. Buckley plays Rose like a grown Pippi Longstocking—probably a lot of fun to be friends with but certainly not accepted by respectable society. The local constables are quick to arrest Rose for libel, but “Woman Police Officer” Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) isn’t so sure. Moss must pursue the case on the sly because, as a woman, she really shouldn’t be involved in a major case. What follows is a funny little who-dunnit with some nice twists and fun characters. As an added bonus, this is all based on a real case.
Wicked Little Letters is a small film with potentially zero special effects so, in theory, there wouldn’t be a need to see it on the big screen. However, if no one goes to movies like this in the theater, studios will not release movies like this which would be a real shame. Whether you see it on the big or small screen, do yourself a favor and add Wicked Little Letters to your list of movies to see. It's not a great movie, but it is a good time.
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