''Relative Values'' is a 2000 British

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

adaptation of the 1950s play of the same name by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

. It stars

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

, Edward Atterton,

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963) Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. is an American actor and the second-younge ...

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Colin Firth, several accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Aw ...

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress. She has worked in film, television and theatre and she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods''. She has been nominated for ...

and Jeanne Tripplehorn and was directed by Eric Styles. It was filmed on location in the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

, mainly at The Nunnery, with scenes at Kirk Braddan.

Plot

There is unrest brewing in the upper class Marshwood household, following the announcement of Nigel, The Earl of Marshwood's engagement to glamorous 'American' film actress, Miss Miranda Frayle - having proposed after just two months. Many members of his family and society friends disapprove of the match, fearing Nigel would be marrying below his class. Meanwhile the Hollywood studio gossip magazines are full of her former on and off-screen love affair with fellow film star - Don Lucas, and other members of the household are overwhelmed with the excitement of having a famous film star marrying into the family. Lord Marshwood brings Miranda home to his country estate to meet his mother - Felicity, Lady Marshwood. The visit prompts Lady Marshwood's personal maid - 'Moxie', to reveal that Miranda is in fact her estranged sister and after twenty years of faithful service, she must leave to avoid the 'social timebomb' should it become known. Unable to do without her, Lady Marshwood and her nephew Peter devise a charade (with the help of the butler) so that Moxie may meet her sister as an equal. Moxie is subsequently moved from 'below stairs' (with the servants) to 'upstairs' (with the family) and is transformed with make-up, wearing some of Lady Marshwood's clothes and jewellery for dinner with the family - pretending to be an independent lady of means (keeping her real identity secret). However, during dinner Miranda lies about her past (stating she was born a

cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

, had a difficult childhood living in a

slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are p ...

and that her only sister ill-treated her when she was drunk and was in fact dead). Moxie finds it harder and harder to hide her identity and during dinner (not used to alcohol) she gets more and more drunk, to the amusement of Peter (who has a crush on Lucas) and the horror of Lady Marshwood. Meanwhile, Miranda's ex-boyfriend - the handsome and dashing film star Don Lucas arrives at Marshwood House, wanting Miranda back. Lucas contrives a secret meeting with Miranda in the garden, but Lady Marshwood surprises them and catches them kissing. Realising that he is still in love with Miranda and his presence may break up her son's relationship with Miranda - she invites Lucas to stay the night. In a fit of jealousy, Lord Marshwood announces that he and Miranda are to be married within days, prompting Moxie to announce (during an argument under the influence of alcohol) her true identity: that Miranda was in fact called 'Freda Birch' and was born in

Sidcup, Kent Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. It was ...

and she broke their late mother's heart by running off to America with her then lover - to the horror of Miranda and Lord Marshwood. The next morning (Sunday), Lady Marshwood tells Lucas that Miranda is still in love with him, and that his cause is not a hopeless one. She then tells her son that he should ask Lucas to be his

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

, but he tells his mother that he now has doubts about marrying Miranda. Lady Marshwood subsequently admits to Miranda that she doesn't want her to marry her son and sows the seed that Lord Marshwood may no longer be entirely in love with her. Moxie apologises to Miranda, telling her that she went too far and has decided to leave Marshwood House. Once again in the garden, Lady Marshwood catches Miranda kissing Lucas as she finally agrees to leave with him, and she says farewell to Lord Marshwood, ending their engagement. With Miranda finally gone, Moxie is told she can now stay and the family head off to church (as if nothing had happened) - where Lord Marshwood meets a well-dressed, attractive local lady at the door, who Lady Marshwood gracefully smiles approvingly at, as he goes into church with her instead of Miranda, as originally planned.

Cast

as Felicity, Countess of Marshwood * Edward Atterton as Nigel, The Earl of Marshwood *

as Don Lucas *

as Peter *

as Crestwell *

as Moxie * Jeanne Tripplehorn as Miranda Frayle

Soundtrack

''Relative Values'' is the soundtrack album for the film, featuring 20 tracks composed primarily by John Debney and performances by artists such as Rick Riso, Gaye Brown,

, and

. Blending

baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...

, light orchestral arrangements, and jazz/swing influences, the album includes original compositions like "The Kiss", "Rumba and Romance", and "Goodbyes", alongside dialogue pieces from the cast. The opening track, "Almost Like Being in Love", performed by Rick Riso, evokes the style of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

with orchestration reminiscent of

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet (TV series), The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad (TV series), T ...

and

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...

. Debney's work incorporates pastiche techniques inspired by composers like

Robert Farnon Robert Joseph Farnon CM (24 July 191723 April 2005) was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a composer of original works (often in the light music genre), he was commissioned by film and ...

Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson ( ; June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, Light music, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams descri ...

, and

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

, creating a soundtrack that reflects the film's atmosphere with both cheerful and romantic tones. Critic Ian Lace awarded the ''Relative Values'' soundtrack four out of five stars. In his review, he highlighted Debney's skill in the easy listening and

light music Light music is a less-serious form of Western classical music, which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and continues today. Its heyday was in the mid‑20th century. The style is through-composed, usually shorter orchestral pieces and ...

genres, emphasizing the charm and wit present in the compositions. Lace noted that the musical references range from baroque influences to mid-20th-century light and swing music traditions. He described Rick Riso's vocal performance on "Almost Like Being in Love" as notably similar to Frank Sinatra's style, supported by a backing that recalls the work of May and Riddle. Lace also praised Debney's original music as tuneful and emotionally resonant, suggesting that fans of John Williams' score for Sabrina would find much to appreciate in this album.

Track listing

References

External links

* * 2000 films 2000 comedy films British comedy films Plays by Noël Coward Films about families British films based on plays Films set in the 1950s Films scored by John Debney 2000s English-language films 2000s British films English-language comedy films {{2000s-UK-comedy-film-stub