British Film Festival

A capsule review of today’s screening in the American Film Institute’s BritFest during the UK/LA ’88 Festival.

‘THE LOVE CHILD’

Monicas, 1 and 6:45 p.m.

Directed by Robert Smith and written by Gordon Hann, “The Love Child” is a working-class comedy that takes a rather more amiable view of Mrs. Thatcher’s Britain than either “My Beautiful Laundrette” or “Sammy and Rosie.” The engaging Sheila Hancock is an attractive, young-at-heart recently retired grandmother who thinks its time for her square grandson (“Local Hero’s” Peter Capaldi), an accounts clerk, to leave the nest. Good-natured, witty but slight and unrealistic about the consequences of its kick-over-the-traces sentiments.