The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Netflix Film Review

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as a title may make you question what exactly you’re getting yourself into, but I promise that once you do, you’ll love it all the more.

Based on the novel by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer, the film adaptation is taking the U.K theatres and U.S Netflix streamers by storm. A magical story that whisks us beyond the norms of romance and dramatic-historical film pieces, and shuttles us through the psychology of people as a community, as a whole, the way they connect, and an introspective look at WW II – and that’s just grazing the surface.

Set some years after the Nazi occupation in Guernsey during World War II, Juliet Ashton – played by the ever-captivating Lily James – is a published writer living in London, set to marry an American by the name of Markham Reynolds (Glen Powell). One day, she randomly receives a letter addressed to her from the incredibly enchanting, Mr. Dawsey Adams. Yes, ladies and gents, that’s right. Books, romance, history, English accents – we are here for it all!

Mr. Adams (Michiel Huisman – you know, the really handsome guy from Game of Thrones who plays Daario Naharis) is writing to Ms. – soon to be Mrs. – Ashton regarding some readings from Charles Lamb he’d like to know more about. The two begin writing to each other in true elder-romance fashion, Dawsey shares he’s with the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (shall we call it GLPPPS for short?), and Juliet is immediately interested in learning more. She invites herself to visit the small island to learn more of this book club and where/how they came to be called such an incredibly obscure name. We get a brief look into this, and while it’s quite humorous, it’s also quite damning to see the effects of the occupation on these individuals.

Juliet travels her way to Guernsey and meets the people she feels she already knows and understands. With some incredibly warm welcomes – and others so chilling you could question if you accidentally traveled to Mt. Everest instead – she decides to stay and learn more. Among her time there, she learns of a woman named Elizabeth. Now, Elizabeth is kind of who we all say we want to be or would be if we were ever in a situation like this, but how many people who actually have the gall to do the things she did? Probably about 60% less of those talkers are doers. So, she learns about this Elizabeth, about Elizabeth’s daughter Kit, the family of those that are there and have passed, and she gains a deep insight as to how truly powerful and devastating the occupation was for them, as do we.

Let me just take a moment to side track here and tell you that while this may not have Schindler’s List levels of emotional impact, it certainly touches your heart. Not in the way you’d expect of, ‘oh my, this is brutal’, physically, but moreover the emotional and psychological effects this can have on not just one person, but a whole community.

Ok, back to the point. She uncovers a bit of pertinent information and – being the writer she is – she needs to research this, learn more, find a resolution, and nothing will get in her way. Fierce determination becomes Juliet’s mission for the duration.

The truly powerful performances in this are not lost among the high praises of Lily James, meaning she isn’t alone in this. Her co-cast members, Michiel Huisman as Dawsey Adams gives a wonderous performance as a man who maybe was just lost in his many years of guilt, worry, and agony, but has a new-found sense of inspiration, levity, and admiration that is emotionally moving. He’s the type of guy you want by your side.

For the emotional and tear-jerking performance, look to Penelope Wilton as Amelia Maugery; for the sweet, flippity-floppity and fun performance that makes you want to take a shot of gin with joy, we’re gifted with Katherine Parkinson as Isola Pribby; the man who makes us all want to read a book and feel ashamed it wasn’t yesterday we were reading, Mr. Tom Courtenay as Eben Ramsey; and finally, Miss Elizabeth herself, played by Jessica Brown Findlay, who I know I’ve seen in other works but I really feel has some hidden talent ready to be further exposed – I’m thinking The Handmaid’s Tale.

Moving along. Needless to say, we have many great performances from a cast you may or may not recognize based on your location and preferences, but there’s really so much more depth to it than just performances. It truly would not be what it is without the vision from director Mike Newell, and the script (from Don Roos, Kevin Hood, and Thomas Bezucha) that really brought the light-heartedness, humor, and absolute deepness to screen without overwhelming or over-burdening us with gloom. Our characters are written the way they need to be, the story has just enough ‘mystery’ to get us through, and the genuine chemistry on screen really tied the ribbon on top of this August gift. With incredible sights to see, simple and yet moving character arcs and story, and a lovely touch of romance, it’s worth checking out.

Now, speaking of that touch of romance – we need to talk about this as that might be my favorite part of this film. I won’t get into detail as to why or how, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society legitimately tapped into my core without being over-the -top, and more importantly, they changed the context of a stereotypical romance in ways that I’m extremely happy about. There are two aspects that inevitably always happen in stories like this, and it’s not the outcome to be concerned with, it’s how it all unfolds that happens to be the road less traveled.

Also, the entirety of it all kind of made me want to try a potato peel pie? Perhaps, sorta, maybe?