Naysayers would describe 84 Charing Cross Road as static, simplistic of plot, devoid of conflict and not challenging to the film-goer. Yet it is often moving in the way its long-distance relationship develops like a slowly steeping tea (between Helene and the bookstore employees), arch in its humorous bits of dialogue, and evocative of London and Londoners circa 1940- 50's. It makes you long for the day when businesses treated their customers with the ongoing care and courtesy that the employees of 84 CCR showed to Helene Hanff (even though the participants are 3,000 miles apart)! The film could have been spiced up by showing more locales (a tavern or social get-together after work perhaps) than the bookstore, Helene's apartment or the characters at home enjoying Helene's food packages. But I've seen this movie 4-5 times and it seems to bring one to a contemplative mood like a cozy sofa, a favorite book, and a snifter of brandy.
Review of 84 Charing Cross Road
