Cook review: ‘Wicked Little Letters’ will shock and amuse audiences

It’s more of a whydunit than a whodunit. And it’s still a good yarn, especially considering it’s based on a true story that happened in the early 1920s in England.

We first see Olivia Colman as Edith Swan, at home in Littlehampton, where she opens the 19^th letter that’s full of foul language.

Edith and her family are horrified at the string of letters that Edith has received. The missives seem to grow more profane as time goes by.

Edith blames the poison-pen notes on her Irish neighbor, Rose Goodings (Jessie Buckley), an exuberant, foul-mouthed single mother who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Edith’s pious father (Timothy Spall) becomes so outraged that he takes off to the police station and insists a constable investigate.

A constable who is assigned to the case visits a pub where the hard-drinking Rose is arrested then, eventually, jailed. Edith explains that the two neighbors once were fast friends until an incident at a party.

The letters, Edith explains, began shortly after that.

A woman constable listens to Rose, who continues to maintain her innocence. This constable takes a more scientific approach to finding the culprit, only to be admonished by her superior because the case isn’t hers to pursue.

This is a fine cast, with Spall especially detestable as the man who seems to enjoy punishing his daughter. Colman and Buckley are great, too. They’re particularly enjoyable in flashbacks when we can see how the women from two opposite worlds become friends.

The film has some comedy, some drama, and a little mystery. But, because of the incredibly foul language in the letters, it may shock some viewers with its “R” rating – that makes it unsuitable as family fare.

It’s fun romp with an underlying theme about oppression and the lengths women have gone to overcome it.

3 stars

Running time: One hour and 40 minutes.

Rated: R for extremely foul language and sexual content.

At Cinemark, Davenport.

Watch the trailer here.

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