Military Wives (film)


Military Wives is a 2019 British comedy-drama film directed by Peter Cattaneo, from a screenplay by Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard. It stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan and Jason Flemyng.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2019, and was released in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2020 by Lionsgate.

Synopsis

With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, a group of women on the home front form a choir and quickly find themselves at the center of a media sensation and global movement. The film was inspired by the true story of the Military Wives Choirs, a network of 75 choirs in British military bases across the United Kingdom and overseas, featured in the British documentary television series The Choir.

Cast

In September 2018, it was announced Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan had joined the cast of the film, with Peter Cattaneo directing, from a screenplay by Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard, with Lionsgate distributing in the United Kingdom.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2019. Shortly after, Bleecker Street acquired US distribution rights to the film. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2020 and was scheduled to be released in the United States on 27 March. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was re-scheduled to 22 May 2020, where the film will be released on video on demand instead of a planned theatrical release.

Reception

On the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 75% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 6.12/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Like a favorite song you know by heart, Military Wives offers few surprises – but its pleasures are no less formidable by their familiarity." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
The Guardian called it a "crowd-pleasing comedy drama" that "hits all the right notes".