There’s a particular type of movie I’ve always had a soft spot for. I like to call them my elderly British comfort movies. They usually involve an older English person who putters their way into the lives of younger characters and changes them in humorous and meaningful ways – think “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.”
“Mr. Blake at Your Service!,” directed by the French author Gilles Legardinier and based on his own 2012 novel, falls snugly into this category – although Legardinier’s sensibilities aren’t quite as gentle as the rest of the genre, making for a rather strange film.
“Mr. Blake at Your Service!” is fun enough, with hijinks and odd couple relationships abounding. But the movie is far too long for its own good, and often skips over important context about relationships in favor of strange, would-be comedic moments that don’t gel with the rest of the film’s tone.
Read Sammie’s full review on Rough Draft
