Bonobo ***½ (2014, James Norton, Tessa Peake-Jones, Eleanor Wyld, Josie Lawrence) – Movie Review

Tessa Peake-Jones stars as uptight divorced middle-aged mum Judith, who finds that her daughter Lily (Eleanor Wyld) has quit law school to move into a commune of hippie misfits who live according to the behavioural principles of the love-making bonobo monkey. Judith heads out to the commune to bring her daughter home.

Josie Lawrence also enjoys a big fat star role as eccentric group leader Anita, who tells Judith she can resolve the conflict if she will spend a day at the commune. That’s all well and good, maybe, but there’s trouble in paradise, mostly emanating from James Norton’s wayward Ralph.

Bonobo is loads better than it seems it has any right to be. The raunchy sitcom-style script is amusing, honest and relatively truthful, given its status. Bonobo is also a lot of harmless, free-spirited  fun, siding with hippie-style liberation. The game actors go for it and get it right. It’s all credit to them, and first-time co-writer/director Matthew Hammett Knott.

Will Tudor plays Toby, Carolyn Pickles is Celia, Orlando Seale is Malcolm and Milton Lopes is Peter.

Tessa Peake-Jones says: ‘It’s about a commune in England today, run by a hippie person and they base themselves on the bonobo tribe of monkeys who never fight. They are female led and they resolve everything through sex, touch and massage. James Norton is one of the commune members, so my first vision of him was doing yoga in the garden stark naked. It was a delight for me having to film it. He was completely naked. It was gorgeous. What a job!’

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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James Norton plays wayward Ralph.

Will Tudor plays Toby.