Chalet Girl (2011)

Enjoyable romantic comedy directed by Phil Traill. 

Kim (Felicity Jones) is a former skateboarding champion whose mother died in a car accident. Since then, she has been living in semi-poverty with her depressed father (Bill Bailey). She takes a job as a chalet girl in an Austrian ski resort, where her working-class origins place her in stark contrast with her posh co-worker (Tasmin Egerton) and the wealthy family they both work for. Meanwhile, Kim rediscovers her sporting mojo and enters a snowboarding competition…

It’s frothy and very silly, but Felicity Jones is extremely charming. Brooke Shields and Bill Nighy play the parents of the fairly lame male lead (Ed Westwick). 

The issues of class aspiration are never really resolved, but despite that there’s a reasonably satisfying progression to the plot. The script features some witty lines and it’s engaging enough to keep you watching.

Cemetery Junction (2010)

Written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, this film has all the pathos, humour and drama that made The Office so special. The romance story at its heart is also very similar to that of Tim and Dawn in that show – even down to the idea of a girl wanting to pursue a creative urge (painting/photography) despite a heartless boyfriend standing in her way.

The film tells the story of three working-class friends (Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes and Jack Doolan) coming of age in Cemetery Junction, Reading, in 1973. Each of them struggles with the limits imposed by a backward-looking English community. When one of them starts to think outside of the small-town confines, he finds his family and colleagues are less than open-minded about his ambitions.

Felicity Jones plays Julie, a glamorous photographer who wants to travel and live a more fulfilling life than the one her nasty, selfish father (Ralph Fiennes) and boyfriend (Matthew Goode) have planned for her. Ricky Gervais plays a racist, unpleasant father bickering with his family, while Steve Merchant has only a brief walk-on cameo.

The period detail is well-observed, although sometimes things look a little too clean and bright.

There’s an unbeatable soundtrack (David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music, T.Rex – even Elton John sounds good in this context) and a powerful sense of yearning.  Plenty of laughs, too, amid some serious points about class and social aspirations.

Trivia: Emily Watson plays Felicity Jones’ mother, just as she did in the Stephen Hawkins biopic The Theory of Everything (2014).

The Theory of Everything (2014)

Very moving biopic of Stephen Hawking, charting his medical decline, his scientific achievements and his complicated personal life. That’s a lot to cram in and the film does it elegantly and without sensationalism. Eddie Redmayne is convincing in the lead role. Felicity Jones is superb as his wife Jane, from whose memoir this was adapted (Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen).

Like Crazy (2011)

Starring Felicity Jones (of Star Wars: Rogue One fame), this is a refreshingly different love story. Its main selling point is the super-realist style that almost convinces you you’re watching a documentary. The highly believable scenes were mostly improvised and the result is a total lack of cliché. It’s particularly good at rendering moments of excruciating awkwardness. The male lead (Anton Yelchin) seems a little weak, but perhaps he’s meant to be. His other girlfriend is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who is as wonderful as ever. And the well-meaning London parents (who like a drink or three) are also completely convincing. It’s a sweet film that stays with you.