Perfect Parents [2006]

The lowdown: 'Perfect Parents' is an ITV telemovie starring Christopher Eccleston and Susannah Harker as
Stuart and Alison, a couple with a young daughter, Lucy. Stuart is shocked to discover the level of violence at
Lucy's school, and decides to find a better school for her. Stuart and Alison decide that St Mary's of the Veil
is the perfect choice for their child. The only problem is that it is a Catholic school, and they are atheists. While
the school does accept non-Catholics, it gives priority to the children of Catholics. Stuart and Alison decide to
pretend to be Catholics in order to get Lucy into St Mary's, and bribe a a dodgy priest, Father Thomas (superbly
played by David Warner) to provide them with fake documentation to prove that they are Catholics. They even go
to the extent of having Lucy baptised, and she soon begins to embrace the Catholic faith.

However, what seems to be a simple story of a couple who want the best start in life for their children proves to
be much deeper, with murder, blackmail and an underlying message about faith and morality. Events soon begin
to spiral out of control when a single mother whose daughter failed to get into St Mary's befriends Stuart and Alison,
and begins to question their faith (the copy of 'Catholicism for Dummies' in Lucy's room is a bit of a giveaway), and threatens to tell Sister Antonia, the head of St Mary's. Unfortunately she conveniently has an accident before she
can do so, and Stuart suspects the man who put him in contact with Father Thomas. Meanwhile, Father Thomas
himself has a dark secret (hmm, Catholic priest - not hard to guess what that might be).

The Verdict: This is an enthralling and entertaining telemovie, with a superb script and a great cast. Eccleston,
Harker and Warner all all superb in their respective roles, and it is highly recommended to anybody who enjoys
quality British drama. Granted, some Catholics may not appreciate the liberties taken with their faith (Stuart and
Lucy practicing the holy communion at home using potato chips, for example), but most parents can relate to
the desire of a couple who want the best education for their child at the best school.