Instant Favorite.

Excellent but underrated film

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I always thought that Roald Dahl's stories were creepy, but this story is the most horrific of all: suggesting that animals are things that can be exchanged without consequences is just disgusting. This is not charming, this is exactly what is wrong with the human race and why animals have to suffer from them. A "hero" who does this, does not deserve to succeed and therefore this story does not work for me at all.

Mr Hoppy is a lonely, aging bachelor. He is infatuated with Mrs Silver, his widowed downstairs neighbour, but is too shy to reveal his feelings to her. However, when she gets a tortoise as a pet, he hatches a cunning plan to gain her favour.Sweet but dull. Despite the ages of the main characters, a movie that feels like it is aimed at kids more than anyone else. Overly schmaltzy, with a fairly predictable plot and some hijinks aimed squarely at kids.Not all bad - Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench are good in the lead roles and the chemistry between the two of the them is spot-on. Some funny moments too.

Dustin Hoffman plays the silver haired shy American ex-pat Mr Hoppy who lives in an apartment building tending to his garden on his balcony.Judi Dench is the flame haired Mrs Silver, the new neighbour who has moved into the apartment building. She may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier and she has a pet tortoise who is growing just too slowly for her liking.Mr Hoppy is lovestruck at first sight but he needs to pluck up the courage just to exchange a few words with the more outgoing Mrs Silver.Mr Hoppy hatches an elaborate plan to fool Mrs Silver that her tortoise is growing fast which does not seem too romantic at first.Richard Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer adapted the book from Roald Dahl which is more whimsical and romantic than being a dark fairy tale for children which Dahl is better known for.The film has narration from James Corden who frames the story of the two elderly romantics bouncing sparks off each other. The minor characters are painted broadly.Hoffman gives a very subtle performance as Mr Hoppy, far from those intense characters he played when he was younger, full of various ticks, mannerisms and vocal abilities. He is simply just more relaxed. A softer version of the Method.It is left to Dench to be more vivid, footloose and flirtatious with various costumes that she wears as she bumps into Mr Hoppy in the lift. Mrs Silver has passions of her own that she wants to unleash.However the film does feel a little stage bound, the apartment setting looks too studio bound. The makers try to overcome this with Corden walking down the street or being on the bus but it just felt a little insular although enjoyable enough.

Oh dear.The BBC's most hyped Christmas programme turns out to be an absolute disaster.What were they thinking of? Big name actors in a sweet little story by a big name writer - what's not to like? Well,it could and should have been a two - hander. But we have extra characters and a most inappropriate narration by an extremely irritating "hot" actor who flounders with some truly appalling dialogue(Not Mr Dahl's). Mr Hoffman appears throughout in a trance - like state as if handling tortoises is absolutely the last thing he would want to do given the choice between that and pulling out his own fingernails. Miss J.Dench is cruelly miscast as the not overly - bright retiree upon whom Mr Hoffman's eye has fallen. Sorry,but she does not convince as either naïve or vacuous.There is too much intelligence and knowingness - she's a retired midwife for heaven'sake,not a novice at a Nunnery. The 3 stars I have awarded this travesty are purely for the sublime Mr Louis Armstrong and "Give me a kiss to build a dream on" where the lyrics say more truth in 4 minutes that "Esio Trot" does in 90.