Military Wives is incredibly simple. But this isn’t a good thing in terms of plot. Based on a true story I suppose there is only so far the producers can push the idea, but you literally have two parts to it:
The creation of a women’s choir.
The rehearsal and eventual performance of a devised song at the Royal Albert Hall.
That’s all you’re playing with here. It’s very minimal. Even the ladies’ starring moment during the Festival of Remembrance is portrayed in under five minutes (and that’s with backstage antics). But there is one shining star who bursts through this restricted story and keeps the whole thing afloat. Sharon Horgan. In her usual way, she keeps the comedy flowing and is very funny during parts. She generally has the dry humour down to a fine art, and there’s no shortage of it here. But at the same time she makes a dramatic impact – especially when her character is up against Scott-Thomas’s – so you get the best of both.
It’s quite empowering to see the women come together and battle their insecurities, as they form the choir. And the backing girls are great at portraying their own character’s stories. But although this is very easy-watching, Military Wives isn’t the most gripping thing you’d want to devour a number of times. Once is enough.