old fashion formulaic romance

Rating: 8/10 (18 August 2018)

In 1941, the British Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel is under Nazi occupation. The locals face starvation. Elizabeth McKenna, Eben Ramsey, Amelia Maugery, Dawsey Adams, and Isola Pribby are forced to fake a literary society to hide a roasted pig when they encounter German soldiers. It's 1946 and Juliet Ashton (Lily James) is uncertain about her new wealth from the success of her book. She is not very proud of the book and she is haunted by her losses in the war. She is leery of the celebratory mood and then she gets a letter from Dawsey. She is taken with the story of their literary society. Sidney Stark is her supportive publisher. Her rich American boyfriend Mark Reynolds proposes to her and she accepts out of obligation as she leaves for the island. There she finds secrets, romance, heart-break, and a story which she cannot write.
This is a traditional romantic mystery. It's a tear-jerker. It's a little darker than I expected from the quirky British title. It has all the elements of an old fashion romance which is about sacrifice and nobility. The title is problematic but I doubt the movie can escape it. The other issue is Stark. Matthew Goode is injected as a third romantic possibility which doesn't help. It's an awkward fake-out and unnecessary. His character would be better as an older father figure for Juliet. A young man would more likely be sent to war unless I missed something about his character. I don't think he's injured either. It would be better to have an older actor. The romance itself is not surprising. It is following a familiar old formula which is perfectly good. It's also nice that none of the lead characters are villains in the tale. It's a feel-good old style romance.