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I enjoyed every minute of this film, and I think that's the great thing about it; it's consistently entertaining. It's got funny moments, touching moments, sad moments, and a downright beautiful finale that left me feeling warm.

It's not a blockbuster, it doesn't have car chases or explosions or explore the depths of the human psyche, but it's very enjoyable in a down-to-earth sort of way.

The characters really draw you in and are excellently portrayed by the cast, with unintrusive directing that lets the superb script do the work. I was surprised at how low this film had scored, and recommend that anyone who roots for the underdog or has ever wanted to just say 'Nuts to the lot of you, I'm doing what *I* want' will enjoy Very Annie Mary. Go on, give it a try. You might like it...

Written and directed by Sarah Sugarman. story set in the remote valley of Ogw, Wales. this makes for beautiful scenery, steep hillsides, and quirky, fun characters. daughter Annie (Rachel Griffiths) had a beautiful singing voice and a chance at professional training, but has been stuck helping dad (Jonathan Pryce) in the family bakery. she talks about going off and finding her own way, but.. dad has a stroke and now she's stuck looking after him. Ups, downs, adventures, and even her share of screwups and bad decisions. an ongoing gag where the whole town wants to send the little sick girl to Disneyland (but the sick girl doesn't want to go!) it's a Great film! Stick around for the fun bit the cast does during the closing credits. highly recommend this one. Sarah Sugarman was actually born in Wales. she also did the 2012 film Vinyl, and has won several film fest awards for her projects.

Very Annie Mary took me by shock and surprise.

Rachel Griffiths gives her finest performance – and though the film is 3 years old, she hasn't as yet done anything quite as satisfying as her brilliant turn as Annie.

33 year old, Annie comes off as mildly retarded, and, in the truest sense of the word, she is, since life pretty well ended at 15. That's when Annie Mary, who wanted nothing more than to be an opera singer, won a vocal competition judged by Pavarotti who told her she would have a marvelous career, and she's given a grant to study in Milan.

That same week, her mother took ill, died, and Annie was forced to give up her dreams to stay and take her mother's place in the home. Her father accomplishes his means by humiliating Annie into believing she isn't special, she isn't, in fact, anything at all.

As Dad, Pugh, Jonathan Pryce is terrific as. Selfish and cold hearted almost two decades after he's shattered her dreams, the man still berates his daughter calling her talentless, useless, stupid, slovenly and cuts her to her heart laughing at her "what man would ever have you?" He forces her to dress in his own dead mother's shapeless, matronly as he constantly tells Annie how beautiful her mother was.

The film opens with Pryce singing Puccini's Nessun Dorma from a mounted speaker system atop his bakery delivery truck as he drives through the Welsh countryside. As the camera pulls in, we see Pugh "The Voice of the Valley" in a rubber Pavarotti mask and wearing an Pavarotti sized tuxedo. Beautiful and hilarious all at once.

While not slapstick Griffiths' Annie Mary is prone to extreme clumsiness – often moving (especially when running) like an excited 5 year old, all stiff arms and awkwardness. She's adorable. Clumsiness leads to minor accidents, falls down stairs, running into doors and other objects – each moment is hilarious yet does something to endear this ugly duckling even more to us.

When Dad suffers a stroke, Annie Mary is forced to take care of the household – with riotous and disastrous results.

The heart of the film centers around Annie's relationship the village and her best friend, Bethan, a bedridden teenager. The village wish for Bethan is to send her to Disneyland. Bethan's only wish is to hear Annie sing. Through an unlikely series of events(including a talent competition, a bouncing Pavarotti, the Village People and the Welsh Grand National Horserace and the entire village turning against Annie) Bethan – and the village – get to hear Annie Mary find her voice again. It is a magical moment blending pathos, forgiveness, hope, heartbreak and Puccini, as Annie Mary finds not only her voice, but the means to carry on.

Very Annie Mary is easily one of the most joyous DVD discoveries I've made.

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I had never heard of this film but it was in my local library in north London so I decided to give it a try. It took a while to get into it and at first I found most of the characters annoying; either caricatures or buffoons. But it sort of grew on me. It is certainly far better than a good deal of the Hollywood dross that is foisted on us because of the distribution system in the UK. Quirky, funny, sometimes irritating but mostly amusing, this made me long to go back to Wales. It seemed to get to the heart of the country in the way that The Full Monty got into the heart of Sheffield. The two gay guys doing "Annie Get Your Gun" was one of many very funny, and touching, original little scenes with which this film is filled. I think this movie may well grow as it ages and eventually be seen as a little classic. I hope so because, at least for one afternoon, it really made me smile.

I was blown away by the range of emotion and expression shown by Rachel Griffiths in the movie, Very Annie Marie. I was not particularly impressed with her acting in the HBO series, Six Feet Under, but now I realize she is unable to use her talents to the full extent that she did in Very Annie Marie. I have a new sense of respect for her. In this movie, I found her to be a brilliant actress who is absolutely captivating and her delivery and comic timing are superb. Knowing that she is a native of Australia, I was completely convinced by her portrayal of a Welsh woman. This movie reminds me of the sweet humor and warmth of the movie, Calendar Girls, in that it portrays colorful characters who are believable and not just Hollywood stereotypes. Rachel is a bright spark that brings life and a sense of joy to the movie. I would like to know if she was actually singing the aria. If not, I was completely convinced that she was. I have not previously written a review but was so impressed with Rachel's performance that I had to this time.

In a small Welsh town, Annie Mary Pugh (Rachel Griffiths) is a peculiar spinster living with her father Jack Pugh (Jonathan Pryce) and working at his bakery. She had abandoned her singing dreams to care for her dying mother. Her friends Hob (Ioan Gruffudd) and Nob (Matthew Rhys) are trying to be a singing group. The town is trying to raise funds for her sick friend Bethan Bevan's trip to Disneyland. Her father blasts opera from his bread truck while he's wearing a Pavarotti mask. He suffers a stroke and she is forced to care for him. Only she doesn't want to.

It starts with plenty of quirkiness. It's small town weirdness for the first half although it's not that funny. After the stroke, the comedy starts to take off like an over-inflated balloon costume. It begins with the bread run. That whole section is one laugh after another. The stroke also seems to have unleashed Annie Mary as a character and as a comedic driver. She's more fun like that. Then it gets awkward. Annie Mary is a hard character to root for sometimes. She's frustrating. Overall, this is bumpy ride and at times, it's a fun ride.

I knew the film was going to be funny after watching the trailer, but now that I have seen it I can honestly say it is better than I had expected. Even Jonathan Pryce's dodgey welsh accent can not hinder the enjoyment of this movie. Many laughs, a few tear-jerking moments, but all in all a really worthwile movie.

Very Annie Mary is a film that focuses on the character of the same name that lives in a small welsh village. She is the archetypal "a bit slow" character with her father (an excellent turn from Johnathan Pryce) being the village big shot, a popular baker and the most celebrated tenor in Wales. Annie Mary's friend is dying and the whole village is taking part in charitable events to get her to Disneyland. If you like the sound of this already, then this film should appeal to you. There's a fine amount of comedy and tragedy as this character struggles to cope with the obstacles thrown her way and get what she wants. Personally, I found it lacking something that I'd got from other similar films and I found the main character just a little too far to handle. However the film got a couple of genuine laughs out of me and was worth watching for Jonathan Pryce's performance alone.

This film gathers together just about every contemporary Welsh actor, with the exception of Antony Hopkins and Michael Sheen (who probably have better agents?) and just about every cliché of 'life in the valleys'. The only thing that missing is the sheep sh******! Welsh tenors, chapels, bread (of heaven), the only gays in the village, 33 yr old virgins, fish and chips and cross dressing performers. Cerys Matthews had the good sense to be missing after her first scene. Even Mary Hopkin was thrown in for good measure. One reviewer mentioned Dylan Thomas in the same breath -turn in his grave he would! Rachel Griffiths is probably acting her socks off but she shouldn't have wasted her time. If you want a good Welsh feel-good comedy 'Hunky Dory' is a better bet.

Very Annie-Mary (M), now showing at The Regent Theatre in Te Awamutu, is not only packed with laughs but takes the audience on a roller coaster ride of human emotions. Inspiring feelings of amusement, hope and joy the film also has moments of utter clarity, deepest despair and complete regret - it's guaranteed to break your heart before restoring your faith in humanity. Thirty-year-old Annie-Mary, played by Six Foot Under star Rachel Griffiths, has never left her Ogw home in the Welsh valleys and is under the thumb of her father. The dizzy girl, who won a prestigious Welsh singing competition in her teens, still dresses as though she were 16, secretly smokes and cannot cook – quite an irony as she works for her father. She secretly dreams of leaving home and setting up with her best friend, the terminally ill Bethan Bevan (Joanna Page), who is half her age, as well as marrying Colin Thomas (Rhys Miles Thomas), a candidate for the Baptist ministry and the only man in the valley under 60. When her music-loving father Jack Pugh (Jonathan Pryce) suffers a stroke during a charity recital Annie-Mary is forced to grow up and take on some responsibility – the only problem is she has no idea about life in the real world, keeping her money in a piggy bank. She's so clumsy that she walks into doors. The film delivers a believable portrayal of life in a Welsh village, something a frequent visitor to Wales like me is qualified to say. Hornblower star Ioan Gruffudd goes back to his Welsh roots to make an appearance as gay confectioner Hob while former Hi-de-hi star Ruth Maddoc plays Pugh's love interest, Mrs Ifans. While the film contains some sex scenes, which are far from graphic, there is also a smattering of offensive language. This aside, Very Annie-Mary is one of those films that sees you leaving the cinema riding on a cloud. The music is just great too.

Set in a small Welsh village, this film is a gentle expose of small-town politics. Slowly, Annie Mary escapes from the tyranny of her father to make a life for herself. There are some moments of comic genius, superbly handled by Rachel Griffiths who somehow always manages to make the character of Annie-Mary credible and touching. The gay sweet shop owners and the pop group 'Hinge, Minge, Twinge and Bracket' are delightful diversions, while the terminally ill Bethan Bevan provides pathos as well as resolution for the character of Annie-Mary. A wonderful, eccentric, film.

Just watched this film on Sundance channel, because I saw Rachel Griffith was listed as an actor. I'm a great admirer of Rachel Griffith, starting with Hilary and Jackie, then the TV series, Six Feet Under. Rachel Griffith's work in this film, frankly, blew me away! (and of course, the exquisite "Muriel's Wedding.") She is a magnificent actor, totally into the role of Annie Mary. It took me about 20 minutes to convince myself that "Annie Mary" was indeed Rachel Griffith, she was that into the character. It's hard to believe this film is now over 5 years old. It's timeless! I did find the Welsh accent hard to understand, at points, but would be willing to see the film again to listen more carefully. Some of the plot intricacies escaped me, probably because I was watching a TV screen, not a large cinema presentation. I'm still in the dark about an important plot development in the closing part of the film, but that didn't affect the overall impact. Also, one loses a lot on a TV presentation because the credits are largely unreadable.

The overly cute title says it all; a soppy, gloppy, sentimental movie set in Wales, so everyone has to sing, natch, and have charming eccentricities, to boot. If I cannot tolerate this kind of rural suck up stuff in "The Waltons" I'm definitely not going to abide it in a country whose most notable denizen is Tom Jones. Solid C

You would think a movie featuring an inflatable Pavarotti impersonator, a seventy-year old woman in a Tina Turner costume belting out "What's Love Got To Do With It" and a scratch and sniff bible goes over the top with loud humor. That is not the case with VERY ANNIE MARY. It is a small film, quirky, tender, and funny in a mostly quiet way. Rachel Griffiths is excellent as a homely girl with a tyrant of a father who dresses her in her grandmother's clothes. The Scottish town they live in is determined to raise enough money to send a terminally ill teenager to Disneyland. I won't tell you anything more about it other than to rent the DVD or look for it on the Independent Film channel. You'll be very glad you did.

I have seen this before, and it has been calling me to watch it again. I sat down today and floated through it - maybe you miss bits the first time - I know I enjoyed it today more than ever. I grew up with Welsh family, visits to the valleys, and loved them. This does not disrespect any of that, but gently take the Mick as you do with loved family members. It's a funny film and a touching film and in parts when she's being really stupid or trying to impress, cringe-making, but then it all comes right at the end. Quirky, oddball and unusual of course those words spring to mind, but the singing is sublime (dubbed?) and the Welsh scenery is of course beautiful. The cast are amazing and the conversation is natural - people behaving as they do. thanks for a very enjoyable couple of hours!

I'm not just saying it was excellent because my dad Darren Dobbs was in it its because it was a great film i really enjoyed watching it and IOWN was in it and he is one of my favourite actors he has been in loads of films i love Hornblower titanic and very Annie Mary!! I hope sum one reads this soon and gets back in touch with me i would so love 2 meet with IOWN he is one of my favorite actors encluding Chris Evans who was also in fantastic 4 with IOWN. It would be a plesure to meet with him and my dad has already met IOWN backstage of very Annie Mary.I loved ere body's acting in the film they all performed very well lots of love Kirsty xxx

One evening in search of a light-hearted comedy, the afore mentioned film was put into an unsuspecting DVD player.

After a laugh???

This movie is more likely to make you: cry, fall asleep, moan in agony, gorge out your eyes, or throw bottles at the TV.

It had a promising start, but 10 minutes into this film you realize that you have turned down a treacherous path and if you wish to come out alive it is best to turn around and not venture further into the empty and painful experience that is this movie.

The misfortunes of Annie Mary and her Father, are not a form of entertainment. It is a poor and unwitty attempt at humour, expressed with serious overtones, that make the film really only suitable for sadists.

If you want a laugh, this film is a pass.