Keeping Mum
A pastor preoccupied with writing the perfect sermon fails to realize that his wife is having an affair and his children are up to no good.
Despite its minimal budget of $169K, Keeping Mum became a box office phenomenon, earning $18.6M worldwide—a remarkable 10885% return. The film's fresh perspective found its audience, proving that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Keeping Mum (2005) exemplifies precise dramatic framework, characteristic of Niall Johnson's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 43 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The Goodfellow family is profoundly dysfunctional: Reverend Walter is oblivious and obsessed with his sermon, wife Gloria is having an affair with her golf instructor, daughter Holly is promiscuous and troubled, and son Petey is bullied at school. The opening image establishes a household in quiet desperation.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Grace begins her employment and starts subtly interfering in the family's problems. The disruption is subtle—not a dramatic event, but the arrival of someone who will radically change their world through quiet, methodical action.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Gloria actively chooses to accept Grace's help despite growing suspicions about the missing neighbor and dog. She doesn't ask questions because her life is improving. Walter unconsciously crosses the threshold by becoming dependent on this new, peaceful household dynamic., moving from reaction to action.
At 52 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False victory: The family is thriving. Walter delivers a breakthrough sermon, Gloria and Walter are intimate again, Holly has a decent boyfriend, Petey is confident. Everything seems perfect. But Grace reveals to Gloria that she is actually her mother—a woman imprisoned for murdering her unfaithful husband decades ago. Stakes raised., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Grace is discovered and arrested for her murders. The family's perfect world collapses instantly. Walter learns the truth about what's been happening under his roof. The "whiff of death" is literal—multiple murders exposed—but also metaphorical: the death of their willful ignorance and false peace., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 84 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. The family makes a choice: they decide to protect Grace. Walter synthesizes his sermon's message about forgiveness with real moral complexity. They realize that condemning Grace means condemning their own happiness and complicity. They choose family over conventional morality., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Keeping Mum's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Keeping Mum against these established plot points, we can identify how Niall Johnson utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Keeping Mum within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The Goodfellow family is profoundly dysfunctional: Reverend Walter is oblivious and obsessed with his sermon, wife Gloria is having an affair with her golf instructor, daughter Holly is promiscuous and troubled, and son Petey is bullied at school. The opening image establishes a household in quiet desperation.
Theme
Grace, the new housekeeper, mentions that sometimes problems need to be "taken care of" and that people often overlook what's right in front of them. This subtly introduces the theme: the cost of willful ignorance and the moral ambiguity of solving problems through extreme means.
Worldbuilding
We meet the Goodfellow family in detail: Walter's pompous sermon preparations, Gloria's frustration and affair with Lance, Holly's sexual escapades, Petey's torment by bullies, and the nosy neighbor Mr. Horniman with his barking dog. Grace arrives as the new housekeeper and begins quietly observing the household dynamics.
Disruption
Grace begins her employment and starts subtly interfering in the family's problems. The disruption is subtle—not a dramatic event, but the arrival of someone who will radically change their world through quiet, methodical action.
Resistance
Grace methodically addresses each family member's problems. She "handles" the noisy dog and Mr. Horniman, begins dealing with Holly's unsuitable boyfriend, and helps Petey with his bully situation. The family doesn't fully understand what's happening but begins to feel relief. Walter remains oblivious, focused on his sermon competition.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Gloria actively chooses to accept Grace's help despite growing suspicions about the missing neighbor and dog. She doesn't ask questions because her life is improving. Walter unconsciously crosses the threshold by becoming dependent on this new, peaceful household dynamic.
Mirror World
Walter begins developing a genuine relationship with Gloria again as the household stress diminishes. This renewed intimacy represents the thematic mirror: what if the foundation of your happiness is built on buried secrets? Their reconnection runs parallel to Grace literally burying problems.
Premise
The "fun and games" of watching Grace solve problems through murder. Gloria's affair ends (Lance is eliminated), Petey's bully disappears, Holly's abusive boyfriend vanishes. The family flourishes in blissful ignorance. Walter's sermon improves, the marriage rekindles, and the household becomes harmonious. Dark comedy at its finest.
Midpoint
False victory: The family is thriving. Walter delivers a breakthrough sermon, Gloria and Walter are intimate again, Holly has a decent boyfriend, Petey is confident. Everything seems perfect. But Grace reveals to Gloria that she is actually her mother—a woman imprisoned for murdering her unfaithful husband decades ago. Stakes raised.
Opposition
Gloria must decide whether to expose Grace or protect her family's newfound happiness. Grace's methods become harder to ignore as more people disappear. A suspicious inspector begins investigating. The moral weight intensifies: the family's happiness is directly proportional to the body count.
Collapse
Grace is discovered and arrested for her murders. The family's perfect world collapses instantly. Walter learns the truth about what's been happening under his roof. The "whiff of death" is literal—multiple murders exposed—but also metaphorical: the death of their willful ignorance and false peace.
Crisis
The family confronts the moral abyss: do they condemn Grace and lose everything she gave them, or do they accept complicity? Walter faces his greatest crisis—his entire sermon about faith and family is built on a foundation of murder. Gloria must reconcile with her mother's nature and her own relief at the outcomes.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The family makes a choice: they decide to protect Grace. Walter synthesizes his sermon's message about forgiveness with real moral complexity. They realize that condemning Grace means condemning their own happiness and complicity. They choose family over conventional morality.
Synthesis
The family works together to protect Grace from prosecution. They provide alibis, redirect the investigation, and unite as a family for the first time. Walter's final sermon incorporates his newfound understanding of moral ambiguity. The family bonds through shared secret-keeping.
Transformation
The closing image mirrors the opening: the Goodfellow family together. But now they're genuinely happy, connected, and functional—with Grace among them. The transformation is complete: they've traded innocence for happiness, ignorance for complicity, and conventional morality for family loyalty. They keep mum.