For the Love of Ada

Walter and Ada Bingley are celebrating their first wedding anniversary unaware that their friends and family are planning a surprise party for them.

This was probably the last gasp for the gently comedic "Huggett" style of British comedy. This one focussed on the elderly "Ada" (Irene Handl) and her husband "Walter" (Wilfred Pickles). It's not the most original of screenplays - indeed, it is difficult with characters like this to re-invent them for the big screen. Sadly, either because nobody wanted to, or because nobody actually could reinvigorate the plot, what we have here is a rather plodding, procedural outing for the two as they meander towards their wedding anniversary unaware that their family have planned a surprise party. It is a nice film nonetheless, though - it depicts the couple having fun with each other, the odd spat (she dyes her hair and he goes a bit potty), as ever - a good old double-decker London bus journey and a cup of tea is the cure for all ills. There are one or two side-stories that pad it out/clutter it up to get it to an overlong 90 minutes which is a shame, but as an enjoyable piece of nostalgia for a Britain long gone, it is still worth having a look at. Just don't expect too much to happen.