Rent To Olivia (2021)

Heartbreaking and a little dark, but a good film! - To Olivia review by giantrolo

What a cool topic for a film! It was so intriguing to peek into the life of Roald Dahl. Even though a lot of the film was very dark, as a family tries to navigate their way through the death of a beloved child, there was a lovely, positive reconciliation. The film was set against the backdrop of Roald writing his books throughout, and the peach scene was awesome! Good old Augustus. A good film, and definitely recommended!

Insightful - To Olivia review by MP

Although emotionally dark at times, it was a very interesting look at the real life of Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal, and how their lives changed after the death of their daughter Olivia.

Thankfully they came through.

Well worth watching if you like real life stories.

Good Family Drama - To Olivia review by GI

Despite the excellent acting of the cast especially the two leads of Hugh Bonneville and Keeley Hawes this true story melodrama errs on the side of good taste and warm redemption almost trying to protect its audience rather than push the impact of grief after the death of a child. This is a fictionalised account of the marriage between author Roald Dahl and Hollywood actress Patricia Neal centred around the death of their daughter Olivia, who dies of a measles related condition. Dahl, here played with a tenderness and emotional power that the real Dahl lacked, descends into outer misery and drinking which threatens his career and marriage, whilst Neal, content to live in a rambling English country house, has to face a practical future. The film will have you believe that the tragedy pushed her to her Oscar winning role in Hud (1963) and Dahl to write his seminal book Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and I'm not sure this is accurate. For the film this is all fine if a little overly neat and sentimental. There are though some excellent scenes to enjoy, one with the late Geoffrey Palmer as Dahl's old headmaster (Palmer died before the film's release) and one where Neal meets her Hud costar Paul Newman (Sam Heughan) who refuses to engage in clichéd condolences. This is a watchable and at times interesting family drama but it doesn't really grasp the impact of a child death on unprepared parents.