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KEEPING MUM

"Murder She Did"

What You Need To Know:

In the British comedy KEEPING MUM, town vicar Walter Goodfellow is too busy dealing with old ladies worried about church flower arrangements to spend time with his wife and family. Unknown to him, his daughter is the town nymphomaniac, his wife considers an affair with her golf instructor, and his son is targeted by bullies at school. Grace, played by Maggie Smith, becomes the housekeeper and proceeds to murder people in the process of solving family problems.

The vicar is presented as a sincere man. Throughout the movie, he works on a sermon about how God works in mysterious ways. Unaware of the murders and pleased with the improved relationship with his wife and children, he gives God thanks for His grace and for sending Grace the housekeeper. While this is effectively used for its comic potential, the grace of God is not a laughing matter. The plot and the comedy in KEEPING MUM take some clever twists, but presenting murder as a solution and voyeurism makes it unfit for families. Extreme caution is recommended for this movie that is marred by bad language, sex, nudity, and the murders themselves.

Content:

(C, B, Pa, LL, V, SS, NN, M) Light Christian worldview with lightly moral ending, but done in a comic, ironic tone wherein Vicar displays Christian worldview but other characters are hedonistic, though two of them reform; 10 obscenities and three profanities; woman hits and kills man with clothes iron, woman threatens another woman with frying pan, boys fall on bicycles whose brakes were scuttled, one bike rider dies, murders occur off screen, dog killed off screen, and bodies of murder victims shown at bottom of pond; daughter fornicates with several boys but eventually reforms, wife prepares to commit adultery several times but does not follow do so, and male character records video of Peeping Tom activity, male character strips down to leather g-string and brief nudity in peeping Tom activity scene, and daughter caught naked in van with boyfriend; no alcohol; no smoking; and, miscellaneous immorality such as bullying, lying and seduction.

More Detail:

Maggie Smith stars in KEEPING MUM as Grace, a kindly concerned housekeeper who solves a dysfunctional family’s problems by killing people. It is a clever British comedy with a most likeable murderer, but it is marred by bad language, sex, nudity, and the murders themselves, which are almost entirely committed off screen.

The movie’s opening credits roll as a train travels down a track 43 years ago. Blood is discovered coming from a trunk owned by a young pregnant woman passenger. At the next stop, she is arrested for the murder of her husband and a woman with whom he was having an affair. She is sentenced to a mental institution.

Jumping to the present day, Vicar Walter Goodfellow (played by Rowan Atkinson) is too busy dealing with old ladies worried about church flower arrangements to spend time with his wife Gloria (Kristin Scott Thomas) and family. Unknown to him, his daughter Holly (Tamsin Egerton) is the town nymphomaniac, his wife begins to study more than golf with an American golf instructor (Patrick Swayze), and his son Peter (Toby Parks) is the target of several bullies at school. Along comes an elderly lady named Grace (played by Maggie Smith), who takes the job as the family’s housekeeper.

The Vicar’s wife has trouble sleeping at night because a near deaf neighbor has a dog that barks all night. The night of Grace’s arrival, the barking stops abruptly after the sound of a frying pan hitting something. The family awakens refreshed to find a fine breakfast ready.

Soon afterward, one of the son’s worst tormentors dies in a bicycle accident when his brakes fail going down a hill. After several scenes establishing that the American golf instructor is a sexual predator of both the vicar’s wife and daughter, he takes up residence at the bottom a local pond.

Meanwhile, the kindly housekeeper has helped the vicar add humor to his sermons, fend off the flower arrangement committee and pay more attention to his wife. The more bodies that wind up in the pond, the better things go for the family, but the truth starts to come out.

The plot and the comedy in KEEPING MUM take some clever twists. It’s difficult not to root for the demise of the sex-crazed golf pro, but the movie shows some of his behavior, including some voyeuristic nudity, making it unfit for families. KEEPING MUM also contains unnecessary foul language. The premise that murder is a solution, even if it’s presented as humor, is repulsive.

The vicar is actually presented as a sincere man. Throughout the movie he works on a sermon about the mysterious ways that God works. Unaware of the murders and pleased with the improved relationship with his wife and children, he gives God thanks for His grace and for sending Grace the housekeeper. While this is effectively used for its comic potential, the grace of God is not a laughing matter. MOVIEGUIDE® recommends extreme caution and hopes the filmmakers will use their considerable talents to help audiences understand the true importance of God’s grace.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.