Awfully Big Adventure, An (1995)

Some more Rickman, please...
Like others have said, I was surprised that it was not a light-hearted comedy and disappointed that Alan Rickman's character doesn't arrive until halfway through; but it was wonderfully cast and though very disturbing, I feel it needs to watched again.

A very quiet classic.
I've loved this movie for years, and bought the DVD as soon as it was released. As other reviewers have said, the cover copy is completely misleading. It's a tragedy of sad, warped lives, with bits of humor, some of it black, thrown into the mix. To get an idea of Georgina Cates's amazing versatility, I recommend Clay Pigeons.

An Awfully Big Role for Rickman, which he handles extraordinarily well
Eager for more Alan Rickman (Die Hard, AHarry Potter 1-5) goodness, I watched An Awfully Big Adventure.

Unfortunately, even though Alan Rickman gets top billing for this picture, he doesn't appear in it until a good half an hour into it. When he does, Rickman commands the stage (literally and as part of the movie's plot). There is one particular look that Rickman shoots Hugh Grant's character that alone makes it worth watching the rest of the two-hour movie. Rickman's performance never falls below excellence and his portrayal of Hook is mesmerizing (and the bits that we see of his stage role are more powerful than even when Dustin Hoffman played the famous pirate in Hook.

Georgina Cates' first major movie performance is impressive because she is able to match Rickman's intensity and bring about pure innocence to her character. Furthermore, at 20, she looks much younger than her 16-year-old character.

Mike Newell's direction is impressive in this film. And the costumes are authentic for the period.

Seeing the backstage of the late 1940s theater makes for an interesting drama, but more so makes the revelation more plausible, although it is highly predictable and as Dickensian as it is soap operaish. All, in all, a must-see film for anyone who has ever fallen under Rickman's spell.