Film Review: WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (2023): Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley Create Wild Characterizations in a Funny but Slight Film

Wicked Little Letters Review

Wicked Little Letters (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Thea Sharrock, written by Jonny Sweet and starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Timothy Spall, Jason Watkins, Alisha Weir, Joanna Scanlan, Hugh Skinner, Eileen Atkins, Lolly Adefope, Gemma Jones, Anjana Vasan, Tim Key, Malachi Kirby, Paul Chahidi, Richard Goulding and Jamie Chapman.

Thea Sharrock’s slight but enjoyable new dramatic comedy, Wicked Little Letters, stars two wonderful actresses in juicy roles: Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley. There is an interesting plot that drives the film but the movie suffers from its lack of suspects in regards to who could be writing the “wicked little letters” referred to in the film’s title. There are really only two possible solutions to the dilemma this true story presents to the viewer and it’s easy to figure out the key surprises the movie has to offer. Still, the film is so well acted by its leads that it will keep audiences invested in the actresses’s very distinct characterizations.

Jessie Buckley portrays Rose Gooding, a mom whose husband has been said to have died in the war. Alisha Weir plays Nancy, Rose’s daughter and Malachi Kirby serves as Bill, a new man in Rose’s life. They live next door to a pair of oddballs, Edith Swan (Colman) and her dad, Edward (the always reliable Timothy Spall). Edith is nosy and overly concerned with Rose’s peculiar and crass behavior. Rose is wild and says what’s on her mind, using profanity when necessary. Buckley throws herself into her role, giving it a very edgy feel.

As the movie opens, a 19th anonymous letter is opened. There are a number of these wicked letters which use profanities to put people down and Rose is the “go-to” person when people wonder who wrote these letters. Rose is arrested and torn apart from her new man and her daughter. Rose goes to jail until 3 pounds bail is eventually presented by Rose’s acquaintances to get her out.

Edith seems to have it out for Rose and the plot develops as a local police officer, Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) investigates and tries to get to the bottom of who, exactly, wrote the obscene letters that were being sent out. There are some courtroom scenes here as you would expect, and evidence is presented that suggests that the handwriting on the letters does not match the handwriting of Rose.

While the movie presents Rose as a really fascinating character, she sometimes acts implausibly impulsive. That being said, one can’t help but laugh when she moons someone late in the picture. Buckley walks the line between being believable in her role and being a bit over-the-top. Her scenes with Kirby have a ring of truth to them and the interaction between Rose and Nancy is touching.

This movie prides itself on realistic moments such as when Rose takes a bath and Bill rubs her feet. This film has quietly effective moments that work in its favor, giving the movie a dramatic edge in-between the scenes of comedy it presents. The premise isn’t really laugh-out-loud funny but it’s absurd in a way that only a true story can be.

As Gladys, the charismatic Vasan gets some of the best scenes in the movie as Gladys tries to figure out the mystery of who really wrote the letters that Rose has been said to have written. Gladys even places her daughter inside a mailbox at one point to help get the culprit responsible for framing Rose. Vasan is both respectable and intelligent in a role that keeps the viewer invested in the action. She is surrounded by a nice supporting cast that includes Lolly Adefope as Kate, a personable character who also ends up on Rose’s side by the film’s end.

Wicked Little Letters doesn’t always work as well as it should but Olivia Colman also throws herself into her role, giving a performance that is so quirky only Colman could successfully pull it off. Buckley has the showier role but the pair of actresses make their scenes together count. Right from the start, as Rose throws out bath water and Edith scoops up her hair, you know these two characters’ personalities will clash throughout. Colman is very offbeat while Buckley occasionally gets the opportunity to ham it up but in a good way.

As directed by Sharrock, Wicked Little Letters tells a story that was worth telling even if it may be about ten minutes too long. The movie could have also benefited from more suspects who could have potentially written the wicked letters. Even though it’s a true story, the movie could have played with the material a little more to its advantage. Still, Buckley has emerged as one of the most valuable actresses in Hollywood and anything she does warrants attention. Buckley and Colman are an unbeatable pair in a movie which has enough charm to warrant a viewing.

Rating: 7/10

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