I had seen the colourful poster and the trailer for this film a few times before its release, the cast of great British talents was obviously what caught my eye, I had heard mixed things about it, but I still went to see it at the cinema, based on the play by Alan Bennett, directed by Richard Eyre (Iris, Stage Beauty, Notes on a Scandal, The Children Act). Basically, the Bethlehem hospital, nicknamed "the Beth" by locals, staff, and residents, is a small geriatric hospital in the city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire. It is threatened with closure due to funding cuts to the NHS. Among the staff working at the hospital is Indian student Dr. Valinder Singh Vashish, known simply and affectionately as Dr. Valentine (Bally Gill), and it is easier to pronounce. Head nurse Sister Alma Gilpin (Jennifer Saunders) is cynical, and world-weary, she is to be honoured for her services to the Beth with a concert and the presentation of a medal. A filming crew from local television programme Pennine People have been invited to the hospital to document their work and the efforts to save it from closure. During the filming, they interview the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Salter (Vincent Franklin), and some of the residents. The residents include poetry-loving grammar-obsessed retired teacher Ambrose (Derek Jacobi), quiet incontinent patient Molly Earnshaw (Eileen Davies) who bangs a tray whenever she needs the toilet, and shy but observant former librarian Mary (Judi Dench) who is reluctant to be on camera but is given a tablet to record day-to-day events in the ward. Meanwhile, Colin Colman (Russell Tovey), a consultant to the Health Secretary who had advised the closure, arrives at the Beth to visit his elderly father Joe (David Bradley), and assess the hospital. In the morning, patient Molly is found dead; she was initially looked after by Valentine but tended to by Alma the following night. The Beth is threatened with legal action by Molly's daughter (Lorraine Ashbourne) and son-in-law (Detectorists' Gerard Horan), who were due to inherit her home only three months later. During this time, work experience student Andy (Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Andy's son) assists staff at the hospital, and Colin reconnects with his estranged father. Realising the Beth's importance to both his father and the local community, Colin returns to London. Although he passionately defends the hospital in a meeting, he storms out his pleas are ignored by his colleagues. That night, Andy cannot prevent Joe from soiling himself in his bed. He is tended to by Alma, who makes a reference to him being on "the list". Joe is afraid following this comment and calls Colin to confide in him. The next morning, Andy arrives at the Beth and finds Joe dead in his bed. Alma is due to receive her honour at the ceremony later that day. Before it starts, Mary privately shows Valentine a video she took of Alma tending to Molly. Valentine deduces that Alma has been poisoning the frailest patients of the hospital with morphine mixed into cups of warm milk. The Chairman of the Board is alerted of this during the ceremony. Alma is jailed for life, and the Beth is closed, with its residents being moved to various other facilities. Later, Valentine is shown working in an intensive care unit at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. One day, he encounters Ambrose, who holds his hand in his last moments before he dies. An angry Valentine leaves the hospital and breaks the fourth wall with a heartfelt monologue defending the NHS. Also starring Jessica Baglow as Dr. Jess, Julia McKenzie as Patient, and Marlene Sidaway as Lucille. Saunders is relatively interesting as the no-nonsense head nurse, Gill is alright as the selfless doctor, Bradley makes an impression as the ailing father, Jacobi gets some chuckles with his one-liners, and Dench is underused as the wallflower patient who knows more than you know. The first hour or so of the film is nice and simple, with likeable characters played by an impressive cast, some amusing bits in the script, and a good shout out to the brilliant medical care and work of the NHS. But then it all falls apart with the "twist" in the subplot near the end, the unacceptable and weird tonal shift involving the killing of patients by a nurse just doesn't work. If it wasn't for this misjudged and inappropriate mistake, then the film might have been worthwhile, most of it before that is absolutely fine, but I was disappointed; as an overall film, it's a relatively reasonable only just watchable drama. Okay!