Synopsis
During the Blitz of World War II, a female screenwriter works on a film celebrating England's resilience as a way to buoy a weary populace's spirits. Her efforts to dramatise the true story of two sisters who undertook their own maritime mission to rescue wounded soldiers are met with mixed feelings by a dismissive all-male staff.
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Cast
- Gemma ArtertonCatrin Cole
- Sam ClaflinTom Buckley
- Bill NighyAmbrose Hilliard / Uncle Frank
- Jack HustonEllis Cole
- Helen McCrorySophie Smith
- Eddie MarsanSammy Smith
- Jake LacyCarl Lundbeck / Brannigan
- Rachael StirlingPhyl Moore
- Henry GoodmanGabriel Baker
- Paul RitterRaymond Parfitt
Recommendations
- 91
The Playlist
The charming, rousing WWII romance Their Finest is a film that openly stumps for two causes: the value of women in the workplace, and the power of cinema to tell stories that people need to hear. - 80
Screen Daily
Director Lone Scherfig’s sentimental approach favours easy laughs and warm romance but the film starts to cut a little deeper in its closing stages. - 80
Variety
Their Finest is the sort of crowd-pleaser that knows the difference between satisfying its viewers and flattering them, all the while showcasing surprising performances from Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin, and an entirely unsurprising one from Bill Nighy — a master scene-stealer pulling off yet another brazen heist. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
While the strong ensemble cast is Their Finest's most valuable asset, the movie also looks quite handsome on what appears to be a modest budget, and includes some delightful glimpses of how screen effects were achieved way back in those handcrafted days. - 67
The A.V. Club
But if Their Finest is a little stodgy and tasteful, it also possesses Scherfig’s trademark wistfulness. - 63
Slant Magazine
Intimately focusing on its main character's personal triumphs, its refusing to fall into heavy-handed polemicism. - 60
Village Voice
The combined charms of Britishness and nostalgia often prove a potent blend for American moviegoers, but Their Finest could have delivered something more. - 50
The Film Stage
The movie makes a game attempt to resonate as something stronger than a typical period romance, wringing its wartime setting for all the pathos it can manage. But even the horrors of the Blitz feel too gentle here.
