Movies where Gwyneth Paltrow is British

“She says ‘Mummy’ instead of ‘Mommy.’  I don’t mind that.  I will if she starts saying ‘basil’ and ‘pasta’ the English way, as that really drives me nuts.” – Gwyneth Paltrow, on her daughter Apple’s accent

For the record, Gwyneth Paltrow was born and raised in California, with some schooling on the east coast.  She has played British characters in several movies, though.  She also married a Brit and has a home in England with him, as well as one in California.

The British are notoriously intolerant of any actor or actress that attempts to do one of their many accents and does not get it absolutely perfect.  Paltrow seems to have passed muster with them.  Contrast this with Americans, who have no problem accepting Cary Grant’s accent, or even Arnold Schwarzenegger’s.  Of course, being from Maine I notice it immediately if someone tries to do a downeast accent and gets it wrong, so I can see both sides.

Paltrow has played a Brit in Emma (1996), Sliding Doors (1998), Shakespeare in Love (1998), and Possession (2002).  For completists: she also had a small role as “Young Wendy” in the 1991 movie Hook.  She said one word – “Peter” – in a British accent.

All four of these movies are quite romantic, so they are good complements for the upcoming Valentine's Day.

And guys, despite what you might have heard, watching a romantic movie does not cause your genitals to withdraw up into your body.  I have watched several hundred romantic movies and I can assure you that I still have an outie, not an innie.

You can find my posts for these movies here:

Emma
Sliding Doors
Shakespeare in Love
Possession

On to the reviews…