It’s impossible to resist the use of strong language from British actors, including the incredibly talented Olivia Colman, in “Wicked Little Letters.”
We can’t quote a lot of it here, because we are VERY polite, but know that a complex adjective beginning with “foxy” and ending with a three-letter word for one’s rear end is used repeatedly — before, for example, “old” and a five-letter word for prostitute — and it's very funny.
To truly grasp the appeal of the film, it's important to note that “Wicked Little Letters” takes place in post-World War I England, in a seaside town unaccustomed to this type of language.
Thankfully, the mystery-filled adventure, inspired by a real-life event that caused widespread interest, offers more than just that, especially with the performances of Colman and co-star Jessie Buckley.
Colman plays Edith Swan, an unmarried woman living with her parents, while Buckley is Rose Gooding, an Irish woman who moves in next door with her daughter, Nancy, and her new love, Bill.
Rose is no stranger to fun or strong language, and Edith tries to guide Rose on how to be a respectable woman in Littlehampton. Rose is not entirely receptive, but they become friends.
That is until Rose has a confrontation with Edith’s strict and frequently disapproving father, Edward, at his birthday party.
After this public argument, Edith starts receiving the colorful letters, insulting her in many ways.
It must be Rose! Who else?!?
The male police officers are convinced, but Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan, “Cyrano”) isn’t so sure based on the handwriting of the letter writer and Rose’s. However, the case isn’t hers, and she’s told by her boss, Chief Constable Spedding, to stick to her duties and remember her place.
Of course, she’s not going to do that. The daughter of a cop and a believer in justice, Gladys teams up with other women in town to catch another suspect in the act.
Directed by Thea Sharrock and written by Jonny Sweet, “Wicked Little Letters” keeps you guessing about the writer’s identity and later shifts to a court case with a twist or two.
Overall, it’s a very entertaining film from Sharrock, best known for 2016’s “Me Before You” and whose recent film “The Beautiful Game” just premiered on Netflix. She is supported by collaborators including editor Melanie Oliver, who helps maintain a lively pace, as well as cinematographer Ben Davis and Isobel Waller-Bridge, who, along with others, contribute to its historical charm.
At the same time, the script by Sweet — a comedian and writer known for the comedy series “Together” and an upcoming novel, “The Kellerby Code” — is solid but not remarkable. The strong use of curse words related to the film’s title letters is very effective.
Likewise, the on-screen performances of Colman (“The Favourite,” “The Crown”), one of the film’s producers, and Buckley (“Men,” “Women Talking”), are also effective. If the combination sounds familiar, they played the same woman at different stages of her life in the excellent 2021 drama “The Last Daughter.”
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In this film, they get to shine together, with Buckley standing out especially because Rose is so entertaining — even when faced with the possibility of losing the thing she cares most about in this world. (When “Die slut” is written on her door, Rose tells her daughter it’s a German phrase.)
Towards the end of the film, there is a particularly enjoyable, small, not-so-wicked interaction between Edith and Rose that we can’t discuss — not because it’s full of inappropriate language but because it would reveal too much, and therefore we would be deserving of an insulting name.
Probably not a “fox-(blank) old (blank)” … but something.
‘Wicked Little Letters’
Where: Theaters.
Rated: R for language throughout and sexual material.
Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Stars (out of four): 3.
