Stars: Alison Steadman, Roger Sloman, Anthony O'Donnell

Director: Mike Leigh

Summary: Director Mike Leigh delivers another raucous social comedy with NUTS IN MAY. Keith (Roger Sloman) and Candice Marie (Alison Steadman), an interminably smug, self-satisfied English couple, settle down for a 10-day holiday at a rural camping site. It isn't long before their peaceful trip is disturbed with the arrival of Ray (Anthony O'Donnell), a college student who blasts his radio continually. Tensions between the campers are eventually calmed, but Candice Marie's newfound admiration for Ray sparks friction between her and Keith. When Finger (Stephen Bill) and Honky (Sheila Kelley) arrive, their lack of respect for the rules culminates in a near physical brawl. <BR>In traditional Leigh fashion, the director lets his story develop at a leisurely pace, concentrating more on character development for the film's first two acts. By the time the new campers threaten Keith's strict moral values by breaking the rules and starting a fire, each character has become a completely distinct individual, resulting in an argument that is hysterical and moving at the same time. As the snotty Keith and Candice Marie, Sloman and Steadman deliver supremely convincing performances along with the supporting players, who add hilarity and class conflict to the proceedings.

Director Mike Leigh delivers another raucous social comedy with NUTS IN MAY. Keith (Roger Sloman) and Candice Marie (Alison Steadman), an interminably smug, self-satisfied English couple, settle down for a 10-day holiday at a rural camping site. It isn't long before their peaceful trip is disturbed with the arrival of Ray (Anthony O'Donnell), a college student who blasts his radio continually. Tensions between the campers are eventually calmed, but Candice Marie's newfound admiration for Ray sparks friction between her and Keith. When Finger (Stephen Bill) and Honky (Sheila Kelley) arrive, their lack of respect for the rules culminates in a near physical brawl.
In traditional Leigh fashion, the director lets his story develop at a leisurely pace, concentrating more on character development for the film's first two acts. By the time the new campers threaten Keith's strict moral values by breaking the rules and starting a fire, each character has become a completely distinct individual, resulting in an argument that is hysterical and moving at the same time. As the snotty Keith and Candice Marie, Sloman and Steadman deliver supremely convincing performances along with the supporting players, who add hilarity and class conflict to the proceedings.

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An early masterpiece from Mike Leigh, Nuts in Mayis a filmed-for-TV adaptation of an earlier stage play. The cast is small (only five characters who matter), but the acting is impeccable, and the mix of wicked humour and social observation make this one of Leigh's best works. Keith Pratt, a man who fully earns his surname due to his nit-picking obsessions with order and detail, takes his partner Candice-Marie, a well-meaning but irritating hippie, on a camping trip. There they meet Trevor, a shy teacher who finds their enforced friendship intrusive but is too polite to extricate himself, and a brash young couple of bikers, Honky and Finger, whose loud and chaotic personalities lead them into conflict with the repressed and dogmatic Keith. Plot isn't the issue here, since Leigh is far more interested in teasing out the subtleties of human behaviour, which he does with forensic skill in several unforgettable scenes. Funny and painful at the same time, like all Leigh's successes, Nuts in Mayis brilliantly acted by all concerned, though special mention must go to Roger Sloman, for bringing to life the appalling but ultimately pitiable Keith, and Alison Steadman, whose portrayal of fey, goofy and tragi-comic Candice-Marie is every bit as memorable and nuanced as her more famous turn as Beverley in Leigh's Abigail's Party. --Andy Medhurst

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Scene Access, Interactive Menus
Year:	1976
Release Date:	March 6, 2000
Runtime:	82 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P A R 61036
Label:	B B C
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Nuts, May, Tv
Genre:	Comedy