Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

leoberning Absolutely lovely! Chocolat meets Notting Hill!! Captivated from the start! Skipping through channels and came to abrupt halt with this! A 5 min coffee break ended up getting lost in Bella's garden! Thought provoking at time, sentimental and heart warming with that ever so charming British humor...or is it sarcasm! This film exposes the inner magic and creative charm we have seem to have lost in society today!

krocheav It's a little difficult to put this into a sure fit category as it straddles several; Quaint, Fable, Romance, Quirky, Character study, I guess it's all of these. Is it predictable? Yes, is it manipulative? Yes, is it coy? Yes, is it delightful? Yes - but it also has a touch of underlying mystique, the kind of mystique that challenges us to sometimes enter relationships with unlikely people. Some of these characters and situations resemble plots by Roald Dahl (or inspired by) but others come across as lifted from everyday life. The strangeness might put some off but will attract others. Director/writer Simon Aboud has taken a chance with his approach but, overall he creates an easy watch - as long as you're prepared to flow along with it. The cast all fit their roles like well-tailored gloves. Jessica Brown Findlay as Bella, an orphan (odd circumstances to be sure) trying to find her way in a challenging world while working as a library assistant & attempting to write a children's book. The three men in her life played by Tom Wilkinson, Andrew Scott and Jeremy Irvine all bring their unique influences and challenges with genuine style. While gardening plays a key role you don't need to know or love flowers to fully engage with this generally feel good slice-of-life-mildly-comic-drama. Visuals are first class and a neat music score helps it all roll along.

bendabook I did not expect to fall head over heels in love with this movie, as I wound up doing. Utterly winsome and charming in a way that is hard to describe. Just when I thought movie were crass, violent or redundant, here comes a treasure unexpected.

annlevtex I confess I watched this movie for the actors, particularly Jessica Brown-FIndlay and Tom Wilkinson. I know Andrew Scott from "Sherlock", of which I am not a particular fan, but he is a fine actor. Jeremy Irvine? I've only ever seen him in "War Horse." As it happens his character kind of throws a wrench into the film for me, not due to his performance which is winning enough, but because I found it unnecessary. As someone else said, I kind of wanted the Scott character to "get the girl" and I think that would have been a nice twist? But no matter, the JBF/Wilkinson/Scott triad forms a nice solid core to the film in the end. Is the movie a little twee? Yes, but I expected that and I don't think it pretends to be otherwise. But even within the short 90-minute time frame, the characters develop enough to be nuanced and balanced. Wilkinson's acerbic Alfie softens, JBF's mousy Bella bristles and Scott's Vernon mans up. The central gardening/nature metaphor works really beautifully (sorry), inspiring both the score and cinematography which are lovely. The scene where Bella first sees Alfie's garden is particularly charming.Maybe it's because I happen to be dealing with a big gardening challenge of my own right now, but I was actually moved by this film in the end. I'd say it takes itself just seriously enough, and the warm, understated performances and specific chemistry make it a good watch.