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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story Reviews

I saw documentaries, the majority of them excellent, about gay men, a maybe gay man, a bi woman, and a wobbly straight woman who is the ultimate gay icon. My very favorite of the bunch was Mad About the Boy: the Noel Coward Story

Full Review | Jun 25, 2024

In the film's second half we get glimpses of a more self-reflective man, no longer popular at home and exploring a career between Las Vegas nightclub shows and a relaxed life in Jamaica.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 29, 2024

An affectionate and respectful swing at a storied and fascinating life.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 21, 2024

It draws on numerous starry observers both archival and newly-interviewed to commemorate a multimedia “master."

Full Review | Feb 16, 2024

A sumptuous exploration of the life & career of one of the most iconic contributors to both stage & screen.

Full Review | Jan 11, 2024

The tale of how a boy who left school at nine and had no musical training yet became one of the world’s most prolific playwrights and composers undoubtedly has something fantastical about it.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 29, 2023

As the clips became more plentiful, this became a not only deeply researched but also rather captivating portrait of a one-off — even if every time he sang one of his ditties I couldn’t get Monty Python’s “Penis Song” spoof out of my head.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 27, 2023

The final invention, from uneducated to the highest paid writer in the world came through a means that still should be recommended to every child, no matter what their circumstances.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 7, 2023

If anyone wants to take a mesmerising journey into matchless wit and style, watch Mad About the Boy, Barnaby Thompson’s documentary on Noël Coward.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 10, 2023

There are one or two gaps here, but it wouldn't be very darling to complain.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 8, 2023

Enjoyable if not revelatory, Mad About The Boy breezes through 73 years of fond and fraught memories with affection and enthusiasm.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 6, 2023

This very enjoyable and informative documentary, directed by Barnaby Thompson, digs into the contradictions underpinning the life and work of one of the most prolific and versatile talents of the 20th century.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 4, 2023

A suitably expansive look at a giant talent.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 2, 2023

The film is really just a timeline, but even the most Wiki-ish telling of the Coward story bumps into so much 20th-century history, it is hard not to get hooked.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 2, 2023

More suited to an evening television slot than a cinema screen.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 2, 2023

Devoted fans may not learn anything that new about Noel Coward from Barnaby Thompson’s documentary Mad About the Boy, but they will doubtless see some new things.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 1, 2023

... A very old-school account of this very English playwright, composer, actor, singer and all-round bon vivant’s life.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 30, 2023

At its best, this is an efficient film that does a solid, succinct job of fitting a lot of life into a little over 90 minutes...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 30, 2023

Coward was a remarkable figure, and this film is a useful overview.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 26, 2023

Much of Coward’s output survives only in fading monochrome stills but Mad About the Boy deploys the usual box of tricks to jazz up the slideshow.

Full Review | May 25, 2023

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Mad About the Boy – The Noël Coward Story review: a toe-tappingly infectious documentary

Barnaby thompson directs an endearing portrait of a man who was both timeless and classic, article bookmarked.

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If anyone wants to take a mesmerising journey into matchless wit and style, watch Mad About the Boy , Barnaby Thompson’s documentary on Noël Coward, aka The Master. Coward dominated the arts world for decades with 60 plays, more than a dozen films, and then with all those songs, 500 of them.

The dire poverty he experienced growing up with his mum in the grim boarding house she ran in Pimlico gave way to the jewels and furs with which he festooned himself as he rose to the top. From a young age, Coward reinvented himself into a seemingly crystal-accented, blue-blooded society star. Little wonder, then, that class is an underlying theme in his work.

But it was his love affair with the United States – and its love for him, as Broadway and middle America fell for his inimitable lyrics – that saved his career. Kitchen-sink drama in the 1960s had relegated him to irrelevance, much to his fury. His plays then made a surprise comeback in his final years after he had sulkily but sensuously exiled himself in Jamaica as a stranded society relic.

The story of his genius comes across as a tale of redemption for a talent that now seems timeless and classic. He knew he epitomised style with a capital S, as a dancer, singer, composer, actor, playwright, director and national treasure. This endearing film portrait, released in more than 200 cinemas this week, buzzes with a toe-tappingly fast and infectious beat. It will put the master where he likes to be: in the spotlight.

‘Mad About the Boy – The Noël Coward Story’ is in cinemas from 2 June

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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward story review – fascinating portrait of a 20th-century great

Barnaby Thompson’s well-researched documentary highlights the contradictions of the sparkling playwright’s life

H e was the epitome of a certain kind of urbane, aristocratic Englishness. But Noël Coward grew up in relative poverty, in his mother’s boarding house. He was famously erudite but an autodidact (he left school at nine to earn a living as a child performer). He was both a satirist and a sentimentalist; a heart-throb who was covertly gay.

This very enjoyable and informative documentary, directed by Barnaby Thompson, digs into the contradictions underpinning the life and work of one of the most prolific and versatile talents of the 20th century. The film draws on a wealth of archive material, including plenty of Coward delivering waspish witticisms in interviews, but also more personal, previously unseen material culled from his holiday home movies. It’s a fascinating portrait of the man, and of an era – a time in which a wildly successful entertainer had to be wary of wearing a polo neck sweater in public, for fear of inadvertently outing himself.

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Mad About the Boy has been released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Noel Coward’s death. This well-researched, revealing and entertaining documentary profiles Coward, the debonair “quintessential” English man and prolific writer, songwriter, actor and film director known for his quick wit and flamboyant style.

The film celebrates Coward’s prodigious life and career; and how he reveled in his image as the sophisticated playboy. The film traces his life from his humble origins to become feted on the world stage to his death. In his heyday, he was one of the highest paid writers in the world. During his long career, Coward wrote over 60 plays, including arguably his most famous works Blithe Spirit and Private Lives, and some 500 songs notable for their witty lyrics. He co-wrote and co-directed the WWII drama In Which We Serve with his good friend David Lean, and was nominated for an Oscar for writing the 1945 classic romance Brief Encounter. He was nominated for two Tony awards and won a special Tony for his overall contributions to the theatre. When he died in 1973 all the theatre lights in London’s West End were turned off in his honour.

Mad About the Boy has been written and directed by Barnaby Thompson (the comedy St Trinian’s). The film is thoroughly researched and detailed. Thompson crams a lot into its brisk 90-minute running time. He has drawn upon lots of archival footage and snippets of television interviews to provide some insight into Coward, all of which is deftly edited together by Ben Hilton. There are also some brief snippets from the 60s classic The Italian Job in which Coward famously played the notorious crime boss Mr Bridger. But Thompson has also accessed plenty of vintage home movie footage shot by Coward himself.

Thompson also looks at how Coward was no longer welcome at home in his native Britain and made his way to America where he was celebrated. We learn about Coward’s residency in Las Vegas where he was feted by the likes of Sinatra; his work as a spy for British Intelligence during WWII where he set up a spy network in Paris; he lived in Jamaica near author Ian Fleming, but he turned down an offer to play the eponymous villain in the first James Bond film, Dr No.

Thompson also delves into the contradictions of his life. Homosexuality was illegal in Britain until the late 60s, and Coward had to keep his sexuality a secret for fear that it could ruin his career. But he could also boast famous friends, including the Queen Mother who apparently was instrumental in arranging for his knighthood in 1970.

The documentary is narrated by Alan Cumming, while Rupert Everett provides the voice for Coward while reading excerpts from his letters and diaries and his autobiography.

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story is in limited release

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Greg King has had a life long love of films. He has been reviewing popular films for over 15 years. Since 1994, he has been the film reviewer for BEAT magazine. His reviews have also appeared in the Herald Sun newspaper, S-Press, Stage Whispers, and a number of other magazines, newspapers and web sites. Greg contributes to The Blurb on film

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MAD ABOUT THE BOY - THE NOËL COWARD STORY - REVIEW

Mad About the Boy – the Noël Coward Story

Film review by Val Ruloff, 6 July 23

The Master is surely front and centre, to the fore, in the limelight with name writ large right up there in neon lights over the theatre marquee in this production about Noël Coward's life and work.

Of course, makes sense, what else to be expected in a biographical documentary film? However, it's all in his given title - "The Master ".  This jumps out immediately, is established at the very start of the film and remains in evidence throughout.

The accolades are well earned and come thick and fast as the film unfolds and it becomes apparent just how prolific Noël Coward was, over a career spanning half a century and influencing so much of our culture, art and music. The Master readily adds his own voice to the chorus of admirers and is quick to offer his own quoted opinion of his "talent", when given the opportunity. ë

The roll call of names making contributions in the film as peers and colleagues of the great man is impressive. Those featured include: Sir David Lean, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Gertrude Lawrence, Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Richard Attenborough, Sir David Frost, Lord Louis Mountbatten, King George VI, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, the Queen Mother, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, David Niven, Sir John Mills, Harold Pinter, John Osborne, Dame Vanessa Redgrave, Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Alec Guinness to name but a few .

The number of icons listed was certainly not lost on audience members, including mother and daughter Terri and Amanda, who spoke after the film and offered their quotes about the revelation this list of famous names provided .... due to the era Terri experienced when growing up and her familiarity with those faces, as well as an introduction and new information for Amanda.

The archive film footage and documentary sources are excellent, with material including Noël Coward's own home movies. The film is fascinating and completely engrossing. 

This was easily achieved with a subject as interesting as Noël Coward, especially with such a story on offer and such a varied life to be portrayed.

It is delightful, of course, to be regaled with Noël Coward witticisms and humour. The film really does not disappoint here ... it is jam packed with quotes, one liners, observations and comments from the man himself.

The poignant events and difficult times are outlined very clearly too.

It is certainly a bonus that Mad About The Boy - The Noël Coward Story is being shown now, coming along to whet the appetite for Private Lives a bit later this year.

07 Jul 2023

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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

Review by Marina Ashioti

Directed by

Barnaby Thompson

Alan Cumming Rupert Everett

Anticipation.

Noël Coward led quite an extraordinary life.

Very standard documentary fare, but easy enough to sit through.

In Retrospect.

More suited to an evening television slot than a cinema screen.

Barnaby Thompson celebrates the multifaceted life and work of legendary playwright Noël Coward with a perfunctory profile doc.

R eleasing a documentary profile on a towering cultural figure to mark 50 years since their death feels perfunctory, and more often than not, yields predictable results. That’s not to say that there haven’t been many a filmmaker whose stylistic innovations have proven this thesis wrong. Alas, Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story offers no such rebuttal.

This documentary gets the job done in terms of giving a potted history on one of the most multifaceted artists of the 20th century, charting career highlights across his wide body of work that spans stage, page, screen, and cabaret, but doesn’t do much else in terms of delving into its fascinating subject’s processes. Director Barnaby Thompson deploys the usual set-up, minus the talking heads: an assortment of grainy archive footage and still photographs that explore both the breadth of Coward’s prodigious career and delve into his private life, particularly his homosexuality.

The narrative relies on Alan Cumming and Rupert Everett: Cumming’s narration repeatedly insisting that Coward’s rags-to-riches trajectory and successes across the pond led him to redefine the image of the “quintessential Englishman,” Everett is the voice of Coward, and he recites reminisces, contemplations and anecdotes from his autobiography. The film crams in as much as possible and ends up entirely bereft of dramatic heft, and it is about as rewarding as scrolling through Coward’s Wikipedia page.

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Published 2 Jun 2023

Tags: Barnaby Thompson Noël Coward

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Official Trailer for 'Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story' Doc

by Alex Billington September 1, 2024 Source: YouTube

"Why did this astonishing man end his life exiled from the country he came to define?" Quite a question to ask. Greenwich Ent. has revealed an official US trailer for a UK documentary titled Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story , arriving in the US this October. ( Mad About the Boy is also the title of the next Bridget Jones film due out in 2025.) It already opened in the UK last year and is just now making its way to the US for those curious about the story of this enigmatic man. It tells the story of the extraordinary life of playwright, singer, actor, composer, director Noël Coward , who rose from poverty to stardom performing on Broadway and beyond, keeping his queer sexuality a secret. "He defined an era & led an extraordinary life." Featuring Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine and Lucille Ball as special guests. With narration by Alan Cumming + with Rupert Everett as the voice of Noël Coward. Reviews praise the doc: "The tale of how a boy who left school at nine and had no musical training yet became one of the world’s most prolific playwrights and composers undoubtedly has something fantastical about it." Enjoy.

Trailer for Barnaby Thompson's doc Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story , from YouTube :

Noël Coward grew up in poverty and left school when he was only 9 years old. He was queer in a very straight world. And yet, by the age of 30, he was the highest paid writer in the world, and a star on the Broadway stage. He seemed to define British urbanity & erudition. He wrote, directed, and / or acted in some of the most celebrated movies of the era and beyond, including Private Lives, Brief Encounter, Blithe Spirit, and In Which We Serve. He also became a world renowned songwriter and performer, of whom Frank Sinatra said, "If you want to hear how a song should be sung, go see Mr. Noël Coward." And if that wasn’t enough, he was also a spy during the Second World War! Against all odds, Noël Coward became one of the most successful multi-talented artists of the 20th century. This is his inspirational story told in his own words & music with unique home movies. Mad About the Boy: The Noel Coward Story is directed by British producer / filmmaker Barnaby Thompson , director of the movies St Trinian's , St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold , and Pixie previously. It's produced by Thompson and Gregor Cameron. This initially opened in the UK in June 2023 last summer, and played at the 2024 Maine Film Festival in the US. Mad About the Boy debuts in select US theaters + on VOD starting October 11th, 2024 this fall. Curious?

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MIFF Movie Review: ‘Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story,’ who was clever, funny and brilliant

Coward was a genius of his art, a friend, a gentleman, and bright star of darker skies, J.P. Devine writes.

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Noël Coward in “Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story” (2023). Photo provided by the Maine Film Center

Noël Coward, the darling of the British stage and screen for a couple of decades, was like Charlie Chaplin, born poor to the bone, and as Noël would describe it, like a vagrant picking up scraps in the streets of the poor.

“MAD ABOUT THE BOY: THE NOEL COWARD STORY” Documentary An exploration of Coward’s expansive career which features credits across the stage and screen, including Brief Encounter, Blithe Spirit, and Private Lives. Length: 91 minutes Rating: not rated Director: Barnaby Thompson Writer: Barnaby Thompson Stars: Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Michael Caine

But God, with billions of poor souls pleading him daily, looked around, saw this skinny, unattractive boy in the streets of London, waved his hand, bestowed upon him a potion of talent and sent him on his way — hoping he would know what to do with it. He did.

He took God’s gift and became Noël Coward, writer, actor, musician and definer of British urbanity and erudition.

By the time he was 30, they say Coward was biggest star in world entertainment.

The rest of the title here is “The Noël Coward Story.” Writer, director, actor, songwriter, singer, film director and poet.

The problem with that is that there are a million or two stories about Noël, and the printable ones are here in “Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story,” a documentary feature from director and producer Barnaby Thompson and producer Gregor Cameron. With 2023 the 50th anniversary of Noël Coward’s death, it seems the right moment to look back at his extraordinary life. Advertisement

At this juncture in our “mad” political and Earth-warming lives, we may ask, do we care? I believe we should.

Noël was part of an era of so-called civility, a world of manners and uncertainly blasted apart by war.

This gifted man, we learn, was a homosexual, a word we’ve softened to “gay.” But everyone in his show business universe wisely ignored it. He was just “clever, funny and brilliant.”

This was a man who, like John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and Christopher Isherwood (“Berlin Diaries,” which was adapted into “Cabaret”), hid all that away and gave the world stories and songs, music and glamour that made living in their times and ours brighter.

Here in this charming piece, we hear from Noël’s friends Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, playwright Harold Pinter, and performers Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Michael Caine and, yes, Lucille Ball.

You’re going to learn that Noël also was a minor spy during World War II. Advertisement

Readers of this piece, unless they’re dedicated film or theater fans, have probably never heard of Coward’s work, including “Private Lives,” “Blithe Spirit,” “Brief Encounter” and “In Which We Serve.” All have the touch of Noël Coward, Prince of Players, court jester of a troubled world.

Noël Coward was a genius of his art, a friend, a gentleman and bright star of darker skies.

“Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story” will play at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17, and at 3 p.m. on Friday, July 19, at the Maine Film Center as part of the Maine International Film Festival.

J.P. Devine  of Waterville is a former stage and screen actor.

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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

• Documentary

An exploration of Noël Coward’s expansive career which features credits across the stage and screen.

Where to watch Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story

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Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story | Ratings & Reviews

Rotten tomatoes® rating, audience score rating.

"An affectionate and respectful swing at a storied and fascinating life."

"A not only deeply researched but also rather captivating portrait."

"Speeding through Coward’s journey... we don’t get to engage with his complex private life."

"The film is really just a timeline, but... it is hard not to get hooked."

"Very standard documentary fare, but easy enough to sit through."

"If anyone wants to take a mesmerising journey into matchless wit and style, watch Mad About the Boy."

Mad About the Boy: The Noël Coward Story | Details

Mad about the boy: the noël coward story | trailers.

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Mad About the Boy — Noël Coward’s wit and charm remain undimmed

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Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy cast revealed, and how to watch the trailer

The cast of the fourth installment of the Bridget Jones movie franchise has been unveiled, alongside the trailer and poster for the much-antipated sequel.

Titled Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy , the film is set to hit UK cinemas on 14 February 2025.

The newly released poster features Renée Zellweger’s Bridget clutching her trusty diary and pen. The tagline, “New decade, New diary”, hints at fresh adventures for everyone’s favourite hapless heroine.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy trailer

[Spoilers ahead]

The new Bridget Jones trailer has yet to be released online, with it being shown exclusively in cinemas at sceenings of romantic drama It Ends With Us for now.

In the trailer, we get a glimpse of Bridget’s new chapter as a single mother of two, supported by her long-standing friends Sharon (Sally Phillips), Jude (Shirley Henderson), and Tom (James Callis).

In a delightful twist, Hugh Grant makes his grand return as the roguish Daniel Cleaver. Absent from the previous film, Bridget Jones’s Baby and at one point presumed dead, Cleaver is seen in the trailer mixing cocktails while babysitting Bridget’s children. True to form, he dubs the concoction a “dirty bitch” – a callback to one of his lines from the original film.

The star-studded cast sees several new additions, including Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall as potential love interests for Bridget. Isla Fisher, Josette Simon, Nico Parker, and Leila Farzad also join the ensemble, bringing fresh energy to the franchise.

Familiar faces return as well, with Emma Thompson reprising her role as the straight-talking Dr Rawlings. Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones are set to warm hearts once again as Bridget’s parents, Colin and Pamela Jones.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy plotline

The film, based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel of the same name, follows Bridget as she navigates the challenges of motherhood, dating, and self-discovery in her 50s.

In the book, the story is set four years after the death of Mark Darcy, with Bridget returning to the dating scene. However, it’s unclear if the film will follow this storyline exactly, given Mark Darcy’s popularity in the series.

While plot details remain under wraps, fans can expect the perfect blend of humour, heart, and quintessentially British charm that has defined the series.

The post Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy cast revealed, and how to watch the trailer appeared first on Attitude .

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• Cast & crew

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

The fourth in the series of British romantic comedies. The fourth in the series of British romantic comedies. The fourth in the series of British romantic comedies.

• Michael Morris
• Helen Fielding
• Leila Farzad
• Renée Zellweger
• Emma Thompson

Top cast 26

• Bridget Jones

• Dr. Rawlings

• Daniel Cleaver

• Bridget's Dad

• Bridget's Mum

• Una Alconbury

• Richard Finch
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• February 14, 2025 (United States)
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• Bridget Jones: Loca por él
• Universal Pictures
• StudioCanal
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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MAD ABOUT THE BOY: THE NOEL COWARD STORY is a documentary feature from director and producer Barnaby Thompson (Pixie, St. Trinian’s). 2023 is the 50th anniversary of Noel Coward’s death so it seems the right moment to look back at his extraordinary life. He grew up in poverty and left school when he was only nine years old. He was queer in a very straight world. And yet by the age of 30, he was the highest paid writer in the world, and a star on the Broadway stage. He wrote, directed, and acted in some of the finest plays and movies of all time, including Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and In Which We Serve. He also became a world-renowned songwriter and performer of whom Frank Sinatra said, ‘If you want to hear how a song should be sung, go see Mr Noel Coward’. And if that wasn’t enough, he discovered John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and David Lean and was a spy in the Second World War! Against all odds, Noel Coward became the most successful multi-talented artist of the Twentieth Century. He was the epitome of self-invention and defined an era. This is his inspirational story told in his own words and music, and unique home movies. The film features Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Peter O’Toole, Harold Pinter, Frank Sinatra, Lauren Bacall, Michael Caine, and Lucille Ball. It is narrated by Alan Cumming and Rupert Everett is the voice of Noel Coward.

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Release date.

25th April 2024

Documentary

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