Wicked Little Letters (2023)

My Review

“Wicked Little Letters” is a black comedy film about anonymous poison pen letters written to law-abiding residents of a small town in England. A police investigation ensues, which took on special urgency when an elderly woman dies from a heart attack after reading one of the profanity-laced missives. The film does have some entertainment value if the viewer “sticks with it,” but, as in the case of art house cinema films, the direction is often uneven and storylines wander. Such is the case here with director Thea Sherrock and screenwriter Jonny Sweet.

The talented cast does deliver strong performances, including Olivia Colman, Gemma Jones, Eileen Atkins, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Joanna Scanlan, Malachi Kirby, Timothy Spall, and Hugh Skinner as Constable Papperwick. The marginally watchable “Wicked Little Letters” was a modest hit at the box office for producer Olivia Colman, Film4 Productions, Blueprint Pictures, South of the River Pictures, People Person Pictures, StudioCanal, and Sony Pictures Classics.