Beginners Review

• 7th Nov 2011

This quirky little comedy drama follows American graphic artist, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) who in the aftermath of his father’s death, meets and struggles to maintain a relationship with French actress Anna (Melanie Laurent). Added to the mix, Oliver is still a little shocked by his father’s coming out to him a few years earlier and there’s a loveable little terrier that is now in his possession.

It’s a semi-autobiographical tale from writer/director Mike Mills and he directs with a nice, breezy yet offbeat style. He is clearly a director who has worked within the music video field and he integrates a disjointed narrative to the tale which works well with discovering the complex emotional state of the characters. The narrative is very reminiscent to (500) Days of Summer in that it cuts to different timelines from one scene to the next. What gives the film its key emotional depth however is in the performance of the father, played absolutely wonderfully by Christopher Plummer. An actor that is often cast as villainous, hard-edged and/or difficult individuals, it is nice to see this reliable character actor given such a witty, likeable and emotionally poignant role. His scenes with McGregor are lovely and they truly come across as a believable father/son relationship while his further discovery of his sexuality is humorous and touching. McGregor does get tied down with a sad case role but he sparks off each different cast member including the adorable terrier that steals every scene he is in. Also working well within the flashbacks is some choice moments from Oliver’s childhood with his mother (Mary Page Keller who fires into a great little role).

Less successful is Laurent’s role which is too cutesy and enigmatic to truly work. She comes across as aloof and we never truly get to know the character because it all seems to be a series of quirks as opposed to a fully rounded individual. One scene where she breaks into an argument with a staff member from a roller rink is particularly odd as she comes across as being aggressive for no discernible reason. As the flaky romance angle reaches towards its end there is a complete cut-off between the two characters which seems like the more realistic place where their story should end. The inevitable big glossy romantic finale turns up of course.

If the focus was primarily on the father’s story this may have been more successful as he is by far the most interesting character in the film and Plummer deserves all the accolades that will surely be coming his way.

EXTRAS:

Commentary:

A little bit ponderous of a commentary from Mills. The key word here is ‘organic’, which he overuses and will give you the kind of idea what style of host he is. There are still some lovely titbits however including insight into his own relationship with his father.

Making Of:

Nice enough little making of shot in ‘arty’ black & white.

Promo:

Short promo used for advertising with Mill’s quirky artwork.

Stewart McLaren