Review of 84 Charing Cross Road (1987) by David U — 19 May 2004

This excellent little film from director David Jones tells the story of a lonely Jewish writer (Anne Bancroft) in New York City that has a soft spot for the classics of English literature. Not being able to find them in NYC, she finds an ad in a magazine for a London bookstore at... 84 Charing Cross Road. A Mr Frank Doel (Anthony Hopkins) answers her letter... and thus begins years and years of pan-Atlantic literary criticism and letters. The movie is, at turns, touching, funny, sad and heartwarming. It's an interesting movie in that it is, on one hand, just a movie about a bookstore shipping books to New York City and the letters that are sent back and forth to facilitate this. There's no "drama" or "romance" going on. But on the other hand, we see the characters interacting, living their lives and growing old... and we can't help but love them.

Also note that Judi Dench and Mercedes Ruehl co-star.