User Reviews

If you like Boulting Brothers, London Bridge, Two Lions, or Ealing comedies of the 1950s (and it is probably my favourite genre) then you will like this - it has much of the same sensibilities and is in the same lineage.

Other reviewers have slammed this with 1s or 2s, or overpraised it with 10s - I'm glad I didn't read them before I saw Tortoise in Love as this is, like most romantic comedies, neither exceptionally good and certainly not exceptionally bad. The film is fun and even funny - it is a very British take on love - as the hero cannot express his feelings for the Polish au-pair. All set in a world full of Thomas Hardy accents, gorgeous Georgian architecture, and rolling fields it is a very easy watch. It's all a little too fake and perfect for the real modern Britain - and it looks implausibly false in many, many ways.

But, the script was fun.

All in all, nowhere near as bad as some as suggesting - but it is a little too prissy, rather than charming, to really fly...

Well, people from UK certainly know very well what was behind this movie but for me, living far abroad, it was a total surprise. I watched it as I do with many other movies and it was only after the end that I went and checked on Guy Browning and discovered the facts.

So my opinion, unworthy as it always is, was at least totally unbiased.

I found it charming, especially the sentimental education Tortoise receives from his neighbors about what women really want… I found that Guy Browning showed originality (which is something I value the most) and did a good job.

May be village annual party was a bit too long and repetitive, may be Anya's character could have had a deeper development but in the end the joy of making the movie and the good life of Kingston Bagpuize pass in the film and that's enough.

Tom mitchelson is "Thomas, the gardener" for a fancy estate. When the new polish governess (alice zawadzki) arrives to look after young Harry, she is quite the beauty. Thomas is quite taken with her. This one is a silly, fun love story, with lots of quirky, real people. Grandma is fun, but off her rocker. And she wants to have a festival like the good ol' days. Stand back! Lots of running gags in this one. Plain, simple fun. Fair amount of laughs. Jokes about dating. Jokes about married life. Moves pretty slowly.. will Tom ever get together with the governess? It's okay. Probably meant for a younger audience? Written and directed by Guy Browning. This is the first, and only film written by, or directed by him.

Having heard the story about the making of the film (a community project)and the relative success I was full of anticipation and wanted to enjoy it. Sadly, while it starts well, by about ten minutes in it very much feels like a film made by two different groups of people professionals and amateurs.

The settings and locations are great and make pleasant viewing, the cinematography is lovely and the sound track fitting, however the script is truly lame and the story paper thin with no character development even attempted. As a viewer I was left with the sense that the film had been built around a few key scenes / jokes which while mildly amusing simply aren't enough to carry an hour and a half, and that therefore the script writer was either too lazy or too arrogant to care.

The two leads and the young boy all look good on screen and do a reasonable job with the terribly weak material and some clunking dialogue "your lips are a rocket and mine are the landing station" The rest of the acting is split and the experience/talent of the likes of Stephen Elder, Ivan Kaye, Lesley Staples and Mike Kemp only serves to accentuate the weaknesses of some of the other actors who display everything from just plain ineptness on screen to wild over acting, random gesticulation and weird accents.

It's a film version of an am-dram performance and like am dram performances it's really only of interest if you are in it or know someone who is.

This is a gentle comedy of village life, with some good lines. A young man falls in love with a Polish visitor and struggles to find a way to make himself understood.

Unlike Calendar Girls and Brassed Off, the film doesn't manage to develop a dark side to act as a counterpoint to the courting couple, which means that it can seem a bit insubstantial.

The lead character is a dead ringer for Hugh Grant, and there are some good supporting performances from unknowns.

The soundtrack is good and the settings are very beautiful. I loved the cameo from the Red Arrows.

This the kind of film Richard Curtis would make on a low budget.

Could a film be more boring? I doubt it. This film was far, far slower than a tortoise. Just because it's called 'Tortoise in Love' is no excuse for the painstakingly slow plot development. Although there were a couple of funny parts this film is one to miss. My partner thought the best thing about 'Tortoise in Love' was the hot Aupair and disappointingly I would have to agree there wasn't much else to smile about. The main character was annoyingly insipid and wasn't a character the audience could easily identify with or empathize with. You just wanted to shout 'Grow a pair!' It was a realistic portrayal of life in an English village and demonstrated a close-knit community who clearly had strong networks and cared about each other. How much more do I need to say - wait for the DVD!

Really enjoyed this gentle comedy. A film about a small community, made by a small community. It is fun, light hearted and warm. Would definitely recommend for a bit of Sunday evening escapism and a glimpse into English rural life. Plenty of endearing comedy set in a beautiful location. The main characters are goofy but likable and if you are in the mood, this is a lovely little gem.

This film was screened at a local venue and was accompanied by an excellent talk about how it came into existence. Guy Browning is an excellent and amusing speaker, who has invested loads into his local community.

There are about 3 positive aspects in this movie: 1) I did laugh maybe once or twice- I was being generous; 2) The setting was quiet nice; and 3) the lead actor was good looking in a sort of Hugh Grant way (but frankly I'd rather just watch a Hugh Grant movie, even if I had seen it before).

That being said, the movie was a complete waste of time.. Although, the people who were in it probably had a good time making it... but again, who cares, really? The acting was flat and felt forced at times, hell, even the kissing sucked! The story tried and tested.. The lead actors had no depth of character or chemistry between them.. the love story was no more than stammers and stares here and there... and comedy definitely took a rain check!

In short, I'm sorry to say this movie was a waste of time.

I was surprised at how silly this film was - I guess the humour was not my type of humour at all.

Some of the characters seemed somewhat lacking - the leading man seemed, to put it bluntly, a bit gormless. Nice looking, but gormless. We were unable to warm to him or care about him because there was so little character development, just light and silly jokes (what they call "gentle humour") all the way through. We learn very little about the characters.

The love story had no depth to it (the main characters barely exchanged words apart from one letter whose contents we know nothing about.) In addition, I wasn't sure about the acting from the leading man and from the young lad of the manor - let's just say it wasn't great.

So, in summary, very silly humour, lacking in any substance. If you like well rounded characters and an interesting story, you won't like this. If you like daft humour, are entertained by farce, and you don't mind no character development, then go see it.

Personally, I would like to have back the 90 minutes spent watching it.

This film is delightful and humorous. It is about people and their Relationships. Even the most beautiful people do not have an easy time When they are in love.

The boy with the love of aircraft gives a splendid performance of a sad boy neglected by his father but supported by the estate workers.

This is a gentle film and beautifully photographed. It is homage to the goodness of people, the ingeniousness of the rural community and so many things good about England that "commercial" filmmakers neglect to tell us about.

It is a must for viewing by every rural film society and likely to Become a perennial favorite.

Well, the title of the movie kind of said it all ... I mean what would you expect from a movie called Tortoise in Love?! So, where do I begin my shredding? The acting perhaps?! To say that I've seen better acting in porn movies is an understatement. Tom Michelson, a little word of advice, pulling a surprised face for 84 minutes will not make you resemble as much as Hugh Grant's ugly little toe. Hideous acting to say the least! And I don't get all this hype about the story behind the movie and how it alone makes it a good movie. The story behind the movie is crap ... The acting of the people in the village is crap ... The actual storyline is crap ... Crap! Crap! Crap! I was coerced by my fiancé to tag along and do some work on my laptop while she watched the movie. I will tell you that, for 84 minutes I glared at the TV in absolute disbelief that in the year 2012 movies like that were still being produced. Waste of money! Waste of time! And an insult to an averagely IQed human being.

I'm a sucker for a romcom, but i have to be honest: this one blows. The lead is a (bad) Hugh Grant clone, the acting overall barely registers and the script was telephoned in over a bad line. Fair play to the village community, they put their heart into it, but that's not enough. There's no depth to the characterisation, the pacing is glacial, the direction is clunky and the chemistry between the leads is inert. At times it feels as though it wants to be a kind of 'Under Milkwood', by giving the supporting roles an element of rustic passion (some of the bit-part characters seemed to be based on Dylan Thomas's villagers - there's even a Mr. & Mrs. Pugh-type couple) but nothing ever comes of it. I wanted it to be good, i really did, for the villagers' sake, but it took the worst of every romcom and shone a bright light on it. Sorry folks, but no. Just no.

Tortooise in Love has a delightful back story about how the whole of a small Oxfordshire village came together to make the film, and many of the smaller parts are played by the villagers themselves resulting in many beautiful little cameo moments. This includes a cameo by the local MP Ed Vaisey who is now Britain's Film Minister.

The village provides a beautiful setting and the comedy element is there from the beginning. There is no sex, violence or nudity. Much of the humour is slightly suggestive or pantomime in style and is broadly based around approaches to courting which don't work out quite as planned.

The lead character is reminiscent of Hugh Grant and the film perhaps similar to Four Weddings and a Funeral or Notting Hill. The story of how it came to be made would be a film in itself. As a village resident and extra myself I admit an interest, but my kids age 10 and 11 were captivated throughout and having now seen it three times I still laugh out loud at many moments. Certainly a feel good film.

I couldn't disagree more with some of the other reviews I have read for this film. It completely exceeded my expectations. It was genuinely funny - I cried with laughter several times - and overall well written, well edited and well shot in a fantastic location. The acting was just fine and I thought the chemistry between the leads was good. My only slight criticism is that the lead actor was too good looking for his role but he just about gets away with it, being somewhat neurotic and more confident with plants than people.

How refreshing to be able enjoy a film that celebrates rural English life with quirky village characters that's not too twee and has plenty of modern social references (note boob jobs...)

Loved this film: sweet, innocent AND charming. Plus it made me laugh out loud at least three times. The audience in the cinema chuckled throughout. Now I know that it was made entirely by a village in Oxfordshire, I think it's even better than I did at the time. The lead characters are both very engaging. Tom, the gardener is very handsome and sweet, although you don't ever quite get to know why he's so shy around Anyer. Some scenes are very eccentric in a typically English way, with men running around in drag or horse costumes. It made me want to visit the village and be part of the proper community spirit. Lots of jokes knocking bankers and the upper classes, which mostly hit the nail on the head. Overall - My husband and I agreed we both left the cinema happier than when we went in.

We screened this film recently at our little wooden village hall, having already seen it once last year. This community effort with mainly amateur actors, set in a gorgeous country house, in a pretty Oxfordshire village, was very well received. The story is deliberately slow, which is indicated by the title, with mostly quintessentially English characters and a nod to "The Go Between". While the audience are aware of the plot from the outset,the gentle comedy carried our audience along joyfully. This is not a film for viewers who want car crashes and gun fights. It celebrates the small pleasures in life: music, plants, love & constancy. Made on a small budget, it is refreshing to see such a charming result. The inhabitants of Kingston Bagpuize can rightly be very proud of their work.

Tortoise in Love is a classic British RomCom. Set in a typically sleepy English village, the film centres around the manor house and tells the love story of Tom (the Gardener), Anya (the Au Pair) and the village that helps bring them together. And Tom needs all the help he can get.

Sometimes the film is a little slow in pace, but the title gives that much away. One or two of the gags are cringe-worthy but more of them made me laugh out loud.

Overall the film is charming and funny. It has a wonderful heart-warming and feel-good effect. I think it is perfect viewing for a lazy Sunday afternoon in front of the TV.

I generally watch films to pass the time and have not exactly been exstatic about any. Modern called comedies are generally inain. Tortoise in Love was totally different and a genuine comedy somewhat in the old Ealing type. It was a story that was interesting and had some real funny humour that it would be difficult not to laugh at. When you take into account the low budget and a certain amount of DIY by the villagers - it is fantastic. The last films that I saw that were this good were Saving Grace - set in Cornwall and Kinky Boots - set up north.

After a spate of watching really bad romantic films (mostly cable stuff) I stumbled upon this little gem of its genre. Even though it follows the standardised romantic storyline of Couple-Obstacle-Obstacle Overcome, it was refreshing.

Having dabbled in writing scripts for amateur theatre, the realisation that this film was mainly done by a small village made it even more memorable. I'll probably see it again at some point.

I have a hard time understanding the low rate (at present 5.4). I would surmise it would have gained 6-7 points compared with other stuff out there.