The Movies & Munchies film for March is Wild Mountain Thyme (2020). Terri from Our Good Life (https://www.terristeffes.com/) is hosting.

I had preconceived ideas about this movie. From the title I imagined a Hallmark or Lifetime movie. The sweeping views of the beautiful Irish coast opening intrigued me though. Then I spotted Christopher Walken and Emily Blunt. Maybe this would be something. (And there is John Hamm and Jamie Dornan, too!)

Wild Mountain Thyme started out promising. I figured it was going to be a dark Irish comedy when the narrator announced to us that he was dead. (Legend has it he must have died telling a story.)

Then the characters of Rosemary and Anthony are established as youngsters. Rosemary is dubbed a white swan by her father:

“What does it mean to be a white swan?”

“You can do anything.”

The young Anthony is shown as an odd boy smelling flowers who grows up to be even odder. Not only that, he is misanthropic: “Some of us don’t have joy but we do what we must.”

The two youngsters grow up on adjoining farms separated by an easement with two gates. Rosemary has her eyes set on Anthony but he seems a bit clueless, or more likely, he feels unworthy of her love. There’s some subplots with heirs, wills, and an American cousin. Some of that just made the movie a bit silly and took it off track.

I like a dark comedy and I am a fan of weird humor but I’m not sure this movie achieved it. The film is based on a play and that was evident with the dialogue. I was a bigger fan of the last half of the movie than I was of the first.

The Food:

There is not a lot of food in the film: tea , ham, stews, an Orange Blossom cocktail, Guinness, mushrooms and a sandwich. Honey and bee symbolism run throughout though and the viewer isn’t totally alerted to what it means until the end of the movie.

I decided to do a cocktail and combine honey, thyme and Irish whiskey.

Irish Mountain Thyme Cocktail

By Debra based on these two recipes: Bourbon Thyme Cocktail (https://saltedplains.com/bourbon-thyme-cocktail/) and Honey and Thyme Whiskey Sour (https://withthegrains.com/2023/03/03/whiskey-sour-recipe/)

I decided to stir up a cocktail using Irish Whiskey, honey, and thyme

Ingredients

Simple Syrup”

• 1/2 c. honey
• 1/2 c. filtered water
• 1 T. black peppercorns
• 3 cardamom pods, cracked
• 3 sprigs of thyme (I used lemon thyme.)

For the cocktail:

• 2 oz. whiskey
• 2 oz. thyme honey syrup
• 3 dashes bitters
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• ice
• lemon peel to garnish

Instructions

1. Make the simple syrup. Place the honey and water in a small sauce pan and heat until honey is dissolved. Add the peppercorns, cardamom seeds, and thyme. Cover and steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain and let cool before using.
2. When ready to make the cocktail, add 2 oz. of the thyme simple syrup and the 3 dashes of bitters to an Old Fashioned glass. Swirl syrup and bitters around in glass. Add ice, bourbon, and lemon juice. Stir and garnish with a lemon peel if desired.

Yield: 1

The plot and movement of the story were just a bit off. Maybe it was because it was based on a play. I honestly found very little comedy. It reminded me a bit of The Banshees of Inisherin in its rambling. Sometimes I didn’t exactly know where the story was going or why certain scenes were included.

Anthony’s character confused me more than Rosemary’s. He didn’t want to stay in Ireland, really didn’t want the farm, but yet he was angry when the American cousin came into the picture.

This movie was a bit of a conundrum to me.

Thanks for hosting, Terri.

Please think about joining our merry band of movie watchers. You still have time to participate. Check out our FB (or META, whatever) group. Ask for an invite if you’re not a member. Watch this movie and post up!