THINKFilm has acquired U.S. rights to Keeping Mum, a delightfully mischievous comedy starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dame Maggie Smith, and Patrick Swayze, it was announced by the company's theatrical division head, Mark Urman, who plans to release the film in exclusive engagements in September.

Keeping Mum stars Atkinson as an absent-minded vicar of a rural parish who is so distracted by the pressures of his job that he fails to notice his wife's (Thomas) dalliance with her brash golf instructor (Swayze), his daughter's parade of new boyfriends, and his young son's regular trouncing by the school's bullies. Enter their charming new housekeeper, Grace (Smith), the answer to the family's prayers: a sweet, grey-haired old lady with her own distinctive definition of cleaning house. One by one, the family members find that Grace is able to solve their problems, but they don't realize that her means are leading to a lot of ends and the population of their sleepy hamlet is rapidly diminishing.

"We felt certain that THINKFilm combines both the marketing savvy and the sophistication to make Keeping Mum work in the States," says producer Julia Palau. "We are delighted to be working with their team again." Adds Urman, "In the tradition of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' and some of the classic comedies from England's great Ealing Studios, Keeping Mum is the perfect blend of wit and wickedness, and it also boasts a dream cast. We are thrilled to have a film of this caliber in our line-up."

Keeping Mum, which was directed by Niall Johnson, written by Johnson and Richard Russo, and based on a story by Russo, also stars Emilia Fox, Tamsin Egerton and Toby Parkes. The film was produced by Julia Palau and Matthew Payne, with cinematography by Gavin Finney, editing by Robin Sales, costume design by Vicki Russell, production design by Crispian Sallis, and music by Dickon Hinchliffe.