Nothing like a dame?

We saw the newly released film, “Tea with the Dames,” that apparently also goes by the name “Nothing Like a Dame.” That latter name hearkens back to the song written for the musical “South Pacific” by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, “There is Nothing Like a Dame.” But as I see it, that is about as far as the similarity goes.

“Tea with the Dames” is a documentary in which four British stage and screen stars and apparently longtime friends, Dame Maggie Smith (83 years old), Dame Judi Dench (83 years old), Dame Eileen Atkins (84 years old), and Dame Joan Plowright (88 years old), drink tea and chat about their lives and careers interspersed with clips from some of their legendary roles. I cannot claim familiarity with much of their work. But two things struck me in a very positive way about these four women. The first is how amazingly articulate and witty they are even well into their 80s. They may be a bit hard on themselves when memories are unclear, but they are all doing quite well indeed. And the second is how they are all aging naturally, not giving in to the temptation to allow plastic surgeons to attempt to maintain their younger looking faces. Actors such as Jane Fonda and Goldie Hawn come to mind as examples of just how unattractive this can be.

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Rebecca