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MOVIES / ON DVD / VERA DRAKE
Vera Drake

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Vera Drake (2004)

92%
100%
84%
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92 %
Reviews Counted: 152 Fresh: 140  Rotten:12 Average Rating: 7.9/10
 
Consensus: With a piercingly powerful performance by Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake brings teeming humanity to the controversial subject of abortion.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: 12A

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Theatrical Release: 07-01-2005

Synopsis: Mike Leigh produces another devastating masterpiece with the heartbreaking VERA DRAKE. Imelda Staunton is the title character, beloved wife of Stan (Phil Davis) and mother of Sid (Daniel Mays) and Ethel (Alex Kelly). Vera spends her days cleaning houses for money and looking in on elderly... Mike Leigh produces another devastating masterpiece with the heartbreaking VERA DRAKE. Imelda Staunton is the title character, beloved wife of Stan (Phil Davis) and mother of Sid (Daniel Mays) and Ethel (Alex Kelly). Vera spends her days cleaning houses for money and looking in on elderly and sick neighbors out of the kindness of her heart. She even attempts to be a matchmaker for her daughter, inviting a lonely neighbor, Reg (Eddie Marsan), to see if he might be a perfect match for the introverted Ethel. But Vera performs another duty that her family doesn't know about, one that is deeply frowned upon by society. When tragedy befalls a young client of Vera's, the truth comes out, forcing her family to see their mother in an entirely different light. Staunton gives a towering performance and, in typical Mike Leigh fashion, the story, characters, and script were built from a grueling and intricate improvisation process, resulting in a film that burns with heart-wrenching sincerity. Rather than take a heavy-handed approach towards his controversial subject matter, Leigh heroically remains non-judgmental, delivering an achingly humanistic drama that will linger with audiences long after they leave the theater. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Imelda Staunton, Philip Davis, Peter Wight, Eddie Marsan, Adrian Scarborough

Director: Mike Leigh
Screenwriter: Mike Leigh
Producer: Simon Williams, Alain Sarde
Composer: Andrew Dickson

DVD Info

Release:

May 3, 2007

[DVD Details]
  • Based on a true story, Vera Drake tells of a woman in 1950s England who is devoted to caring for her family, but secretly aids women who want to terminated unwanted pregnancies. When the authorities find her out, Vera's world and family life rapidly unravel.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  • Reviews

     
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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    N/R

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
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    4/5

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    04/01/06
    Empire Magazine
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    4/5

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    03/07/05
    Independent
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    4/5

    Aside from the performances, which are uniformly excellent, the greatest strength of Mike Leigh's drama is its non-judgmental stance on abortion.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    01/15/05
    Adrian Hennigan
    BBC
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    An exceptional breadth of context and compassion is evident here, though the film is as much a triumph of production design as it is of acting, writing and direction.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    01/15/05
    Ryan Gilbey
    Sight and Sound
    Ratings Image
    75/100

    Staunton's method serves Vera Drake so powerfully that a BAFTA must surely beckon.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    01/04/05
    Joe Utichi
    FilmFocus
    Ratings Image
    4/5

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    10/23/04
    Matthew Turner
    ViewLondon
    Ratings Image
    N/A

    Leigh’s gift for turning the meagre into gripping drama has seldom been put to better use. The pleasant surprise is that this is a story to sink your teeth into

    Full Review | comment Comment
    10/21/04
    Barbara Ellen
    Times [UK]
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    5/5

    Mike Leigh is still making films that bristle with honesty and life, fearlessly tackling issues that other filmmakers won't touch.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    10/06/04
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall
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    3/4

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    12/27/07
    Joe Lozito
    Big Picture Big Sound
    Ratings Image
    4/4

    In a hopelessly polarized debate, Leigh allows us to see real people involved in real situations. The film will keep people on either side of the abortion debates talking.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    11/10/06
    Stefan Ulstein
    Christianity Today
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    4/5

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    Full Review | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Film Threat
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    8/10

    Word "great" doesn't do justice to what Imelda Staunton delivers with her performance.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    11/04/05
    Dragan Antulov
    Draxblog Movie Reviews
    Ratings Image
    N/A

    Staunton lends the role of Vera a great emotional complexity, eschewing any facile moral response to the social and sexual issues at the heart of the film.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    06/21/05
    Leo Goldsmith
    Not Coming to a Theater Near You
    Ratings Image
    B+

    Imelda Staunton delivers an indelible performance as a woman with a frighteningly simplistic idea of the world and how to live in it.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    06/20/05
    Jeffrey Overstreet
    Looking Closer
    Ratings Image
    5/5

    Moralmente complexo, está longe de representar uma experiência 'satisfatória' para o espectador, que sairá emocionalmente esgotado do cinema. Isto o engrandece ainda mais.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    05/13/05
    Pablo Villaca
    Cinema em Cena
    Ratings Image
    4/5

    La película confirma a Mike Leigh como uno de los mejores representantes del cine británico, y a Imelda Staunton como una de sus mejores actrices.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    05/07/05
    Enrique Buchichio
    Uruguay Total
    Ratings Image
    B+

    Puts a tender human face on this explosive subject.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    05/04/05
    Nick Schager
    Lessons of Darkness
    Ratings Image
    B+

    Vera Drake succeeds because Leigh is not interested in sloganeering but in looking at the human and moral cost.

    Full Review | comment Comment
    04/13/05
    Mark Pfeiffer
    Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
    Ratings Image
    4/5

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    04/05/05
    Film Threat
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