Enchanted April

Enchanted April, from von Arnim's novel, may be the most charming film I've seen all year. Not only is it charming, but also witty, literate and bitingly funny. Then, without losing those qualities, it becomes a warm and wonderful love story, about dreams coming true, and finding what was thought lost, both in oneself and in someone else. [28 Aug 1992]

The exquisitely wrought tale of four British women of different backgrounds who rent a villa in Portofino, Italy, is delivered with a witty feminist twist by director Mike Newell (Dance With a Stranger) and an outstanding cast.

Buoyed by Rex Maidment's fine, lush photography - it was shot around Portofino - and uniformly superb performances, Enchanted April is a wonderfully lovely, sweet, bright (and sometimes funnny) BBC film that is uplifting without being sappy. [7 Aug 1992, p.L]

Thanks to a superb cast it's great fun indeed. [7 Aug 1992]

Miss Plowright's performance is an absolute marvel. Her transition from the acid-tongued widow to a wisely compassionate woman warms the heart. [20 July 1992]

A slim comedy of manners about Brits discovering their emotions in sunny Italy, Enchanted April doesn't spring many surprises. Strong cast's reliable playing is undercut by a script that dawdles over well-trod territory

A pretty dry cracker.