When the Ratcliffe family from Bingley in North Yorkshire, led by family patriarch Frank (Iain Glen), defect to West Germany they find, not the Marxist utopia that they were expecting but the nightmare of rationing, censorship and bureaucratic oppression.

Set against the backdrop of the rebellious 60s perhaps it"s no wonder that the heroine of the film, Dorothy Ratcliffe (Catherine Tate), is at first shy and retiring, the epitome of the British housewife of the times. It"s only later, when Frank realises the mistake that he has made and their family is in danger, that she becomes stronger and bolder than ever, much like the stunning Fraulein Unger (Heike Makatsch) who has taken a distinct interest in Frank.

Also in the mix are the Ratcliffe family"s two young daughters who both outshine their mother in varying ways. Mary (Jessica Barden) - Bingley"s youngest communist - is just eleven years old but she has happily taken to being a Stasi informer whilst rebellious and sexy seventeen year old Alex (Brittany Ashworth) is corrupting the young German boys.

Mrs Ratcliffe"s Revolution is a well written story, taken from real-life events, however I"m sorry to report that it still failed to capture my imagination. It seemed a little too farcical in places and although Catherine Tate is a perfectly fine straight performer able in general to engender the fashion and spirit of the times I still didn"t really find the film very enthralling.

There are moments of comedy and of drama that work well and the locations, sets and costumes are all adequate but I still never believed that I was watching a family struggling against oppression, literally afraid for their lives in the 1960s Deutsche Demokratische Republik.