It's been 10 years since he finished college and quite some time since he and his five best college chums have all been together so Peter invites them for the New Year's weekend.
Even though he lives in her shadow, Andrew Benson (Kenneth Branagh, who also directed) brings his neurotic Hollywood celebrity wife Carol (Rita Rudner, who also co-write the script with her husband). Successful jingle writers Roger and Mary Charleston (Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton), who married fresh out of college, are present though Mary is obsessively distracted by the fact that their young son isn't with them. The beautiful and very sexy Sarah Johnson (Alphonsia Emmanuel) brings her new loose cannon affair du jour Brian (Tony Slattery). Pitifully plain and awkward Maggie Chester (Emma Thompson) attends alone but has ulterior motives.
Vera (Phyllida Law), who had been the housekeeper/cook for Peter's father, agreed to stay on until the first of the year before retiring because Peter asked her to. Her teenage son Paul (Alex Lowe), who has grown up on the estate, is also on hand to help with the guests' needs.
Over the course of a few days, they reminisce about the good old times and the bad, and the joys and angst, bitterness and boldness, and all manner of other emotions spill out between the the six college chums and the two outsiders.
A pretty terrific soundtrack includes Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It," Queen's "You're My Best Friend," Cindi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart," Eric Clapton's "Give Me Strength," The Pretenders' "Don't Get Me Wrong," Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares For Me,: Michael Nesmith's "Rio," Daryl Braithwaite's "As The Days Go By," Elton Johns' "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues," The Pasadenas' "Let's Stay Together," Terence Trent D'Arby's "If You Let Me Stay," and other familiar pieces.
Run time: 1 hour, 41 minutes
This aired on BBC. Not rated by MPAA.
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