''Jack and Sarah'' is a 1995

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film written and directed by Tim Sullivan and starring

Richard E. Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hock in Mar ...

Samantha Mathis Samantha Mathis (born May 12, 1970) is an American actress and trade union leader who served as the Vice President, Actors/Performers of SAG-AFTRA from 2015 to 2019. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in '' Pump Up t ...

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

Eileen Atkins Dame Eileen June Atkins, (born 16 June 1934), is an English actress and occasional screenwriter. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Aw ...

Cherie Lunghi Cherie Mary Lunghi (born 4 April 1952) is an English film, television, and theatre actress, known for her roles in many British TV dramas. Her international fame stems from her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film ''Excalibur''. Her long list of ...

and

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Plot

Jack and Sarah are expectant parents, renovating their home for their soon-to-be expanding family. One night, Jack in a panic over getting Sarah to the hospital falls down the stairs and bangs his head. He wakes in hospital to find that Sarah had died after giving birth to their daughter. Grief-stricken, Jack rejects fatherhood, leaving the baby girl in the care of his parents and Sarah's mother. During this time, Jack relies heavily on drink, and befriends a homeless alcoholic man in a nearby skip. Knowing Jack needs to get back into his life, Jack's father decides to introduce Jack to his daughter by placing the child in bed next him as he sleeps off another all-night bender. The three grandparents then wait in Jack's kitchen until he wakes. Initially overcome by the child and feeling sabotaged, Jack bonds with his daughter. He quickly becomes a doting father as he continues to mourn the loss of his wife. In honour of his wife, Jacks names the child Sarah. Fatherhood comes naturally to Jack, but he struggles with balancing raising his daughter, house renovation construction, and with his day-time job. In an odd turn of events, the homeless man from the skip comes to visit and Jack offers him work around the house. William, once sober, proves to be a remarkably efficient babysitter and housekeeper. William and Sarah's grandparents are often present to help Jack, Jack realises that he needs is a full-time live-in nanny to care for Sarah. Unfortunately, the interview process finds candidates who are cold or detached or just plain strange, much to Jack and the grandparents' dismay. In a chance outing at a restaurant with Sarah, Jack encounters the waitress Amy, an American living in London. Amy instantly takes a shine to Sarah and Sarah to her, and Jack offers her the nanny position on the spot. Within the week, Amy moves into Jack and Sarah's house and begins her new job caring for Sarah. Although Amy clashes with William and the grandparents, especially Jack's mother, Margaret, Jack and Amy gradually grow closer—but Jack's boss has also taken an interest in him.

Cast

as Jack, the father of Baby Sarah who's taking care of her along with his girlfriend Amy, after the death of his first wife. *

as Amy, the American babysitter for Baby Sarah and Jack's new girlfriend. *

as Margaret *

as Phil *

as Anna *

Imogen Stubbs Imogen Stubbs (born 20 February 1961) is an English actress and writer. Her first leading part was in '' Privileged'' (1982), followed by '' A Summer Story'' (1988). Her first play, '' We Happy Few'', was produced in 2004. In 2008 she joined ...

as Sarah, the first wife of Jack, who died during the birth of Baby Sarah. *

as William * David Swift as Michael * Bianca Lee and Sophia Lee as Baby Sarah, the daughter of Jack and Sarah. **Sophia Sullivan as Baby Sarah (as a toddler), the daughter of Jack and Sarah.

Production

Development of the film began in 1991 for Granada Film. Polygram joined the film, and shooting began in January 1993.

Release

The film was originally released in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

on 9 June 1995.

Reception

The film was the third highest-grossing British film at the UK box office for the year, behind '' Shallow Grave'' and '' The Madness of King George'', with a gross of £2,565,673.Olins, Rufus. "Mr Fixit of the British Screen." Sunday Times [London, England] 24 Sept. 1995: 9[S]. The Sunday Times Digital Archive.
Web. 29 March 2014. In the United States and Canada it grossed $218,626.

Music

The theme song in this film is "

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

" by British pop group

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since t ...

References

External links

* * * * {{Mojo title, jackandsarah 1995 films 1995 romantic comedy films British romantic comedy films French romantic comedy films Films scored by Simon Boswell Films shot at Pinewood Studios PolyGram Filmed Entertainment films Gramercy Pictures films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films 1990s French films