Bill Nighy's "special" period drama is now streaming on the BBC

Their Finest, a period drama boasting a star-studded lineup including Bill Nighy, Gemma Arterton and Richard E Grant, has found a new streaming home in the UK.

The 2016 war dramedy, directed by Lone Scherfig and written by Gaby Chiappe, "smoothly combines comedy and wartime drama to crowd-pleasing effect", according to the critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, where it currently holds an approval rating of 90% from 168 reviews.

Now streaming on BBC iPlayer after airing last night on BBC Two, the film transports us to the grim period following the Dunkirk evacuation as the Battle of Britain turned into the London Blitz, leading the British government to mount a desperate effort to raise the morale of the population.

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Also featuring Sam Claflin, Jack Huston, Jake Lacy, Henry Goodman, Rachael Stirling, Eddie Marsan, Amanda Root, Helen McCrory, and Claudia Jessie, Their Finest has been hailed as a "thoughtful, trenchant and penetrating wartime romance" by Little White Lies, with their review opining that the movie "grows into something special, powered forward by Arterton’s charming central turn".

Deep Focus Reviews heaped praise on Scherfig, noting that she "balances what in another directors hands could be an uneven mixture of tones, carefully manoeuvring around the pervasive wartime trauma to find romantic, funny, and touching moments."

Globe and Mail said: "There's a sweet love story and some wonderful work by an array of British actors", while Den of Geek described it as "a well-told story with exquisite mise-en-scène, costumes, lighting and staging", noting that "it'll fill you up with warmth due to its sincerity and intelligence - acting as a much-needed catharsis for our times."

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Less glowing than the other reviews, Flick Feast were of the opinion that "the plot lacks emotional depth", but did praise it as a "sweet, heart-warming period drama that reminds viewers that there is hope during hard times."

Speaking to Vulture upon the film's release, Nighy said: "The thing is the movie has a lot of big things to say, but what I love about books or music or anything is the fact that it doesn't forget to be entertaining.

"It doesn't forget that it's in show business... So you get to laugh and cry, hopefully, and you get something to think about."

Their Finest is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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