Minghella’s Last: A Contrarian View
“I really wanted to like “The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” it being, as it turned out, Anthony Minghella’s final throw of the dice. But I failed miserably, as I once did with the book. I found Alexander McCall Smith’s novel – the first in an astonishingly successful series – twee, quaint, shallow, possibly patronising. And these qualities have now been successfully transferred to the screen.” That’s a disgruntled view from Britain, where the show — starring Jill Scott, pictured, and Anika Noni Rose — has just been aired. It will be broadcast in the United States later this year on Home Box Office (HBO).
