The prospect of joining Dames Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith for a weekend in the country is as delightful as it sounds in Tea with the Dames.

Roger Michel (Notting Hill; My Cousin Rachel) and his team were allowed to film this particular reunion, which finds these revered talents of British stage and screen having fun with one another, while also touching on some serious subjects that they largely deflect in a similar manner.

Beyond the sheer pleasure of spending time with these appealing women, the film also serves as an impressively informative look at each’s life and career, and is essentially a fairly in-depth bio-doc on all four, though Atkins’ history feels mysteriously less explored than the others.

Nonetheless, the combined potency of the past and present is a remarkable accomplishment for a film that runs just over 80 minutes — an all too brief runtime for such enjoyable company.

Grade: B-plus. Not rated, but with some adult content. Starts Oct. 12 at Grail Moviehouse

(Photo: IFC Films)