Tag: romance

Though the older crowd is the obvious target audience for a film like this, it can be and will be enjoyed by anyone who watches it, no matter what age the moviegoer happens to be. Richard Loncraine’s (The Missionary, Richard III, Band of Brothers) Finding Your Feet is an amusing, romantic comedy and a sweet and touching tale of two sisters reuniting after many years apart.

The reunion comes due to the fact that the younger of the two sisters, Sandra, played remarkably well by Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Shakespeare in Love, Vera Drake), leaves her husband, Mike (Sessions), when she catches him cheating on her with, Pamela (Lawrence), a woman Sandra thought was a friend of hers. This revelation happens when she sees them at an inopportune time at a party she and Mike are throwing for his retirement. She not only sees them kissing but then learns it has been going on for five years. It’s rather difficult to watch her be humiliated even though our first introduction to Sandra is to find her rather stuffy.

Unable to trust or stay with him, she packs her bags and heads to the only place she knows she’ll be safe, the doorstep of Bif (Imrie), her very liberal and independent-minded older sister. Actress Celia Imrie, who was also in Bridget Jones’s Baby, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Nanny McPhee, was outstanding in this part. The two actresses were believable as sisters in their authentic performances and their commitment to the roles. It was easy to like them and root for them.

It isn’t long before Bif, so named because as a little girl, Sandra couldn’t say Elizabeth, is trying to play matchmaker. Her friend Charlie (Spall) might be the perfect match for Sandra. Charlie, who lives on a houseboat after selling his home to pay for the care his ailing wife, Lilly (Sian Thomas), receives, is lonely, interesting and interested. Lilly is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, something he doesn’t share with Sandra who, after what she recently went through, wouldn’t ever want to be the other woman. Bif, Sandra, Charlie and his widowed friend Ted (Hayman), dance away the blues at a dance class Sandra can’t help but get involved in. A lot of the humor in the film comes from this class, such as a line from actress Joanna Lumley who plays their friend, Jackie. She shares with the group that she and her husband broke up over religious difference, ‘He thought he was God. I didn’t.’ Even though she’s still bitter, it’s pleasant watching the members of the dance troupe accept Sandra and for Bif to observe her slowly become more like the person she remembered her sister was before marrying the man who killed her dreams. Sandra gave her younger years to what Mike wanted to be and do and forgot who she was in the process. Bif is now tasked with bringing her back to life.

It is a tale that’s been told before but not quite in this fashion. With that said, you can see everything coming a mile away but with this cast and with the struggles the characters face, Loncraine manages to keep things fresh enough for you to stay fascinated in the story and you don’t much mind the predictable moments. The film is littered with the occasional character in a circumstance that’s heartbreaking. These situations work as well as the comedy does and when the dance troupe starts a flash mob and ends up going on a trip to Rome because of it, you’re overjoyed that Sandra has finally gotten the message that it’s time she ‘went for it.’ This is a feel-good piece, the pace is good, the dancing is believable and quite entertaining and there’s also a wonderful soundtrack that takes you through the entire film. If you’re enjoying it, it continues through the end credits with the Elkie Brooks’ song Running to the Future. I recommend. Enjoy.

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‘Love, Simon’ is a touching story about a high school student named Simon (Robinson). He has a secret that he has kept from everyone in his life. That secret is that hes never told his family or friends that he’s gay. The film, in a way, encourages those who haven’t, to do the same. Why do I say that? Because it shines a light on how much his friends love him and how much support his family would give him. There’s no way he doesn’t know this, yet he’s still terrified to tell anyone. The reason for that is he’s focusing only on those people who wouldn’t approve, instead of those who love him enough not to care who he loves.

It’s also a coming of age story, like the many who have come before it, but there’s something special here. If you can get past the bad jokes, some which are set up, so the audience will feel for Simon, some just cheesy and ineffective, you’ll truly enjoy the film. After those are out of the way, about halfway through, ‘Love, Simon’ finds its own voice instead of trying to be a crazy, teenage romp. It’s an unusual movie with a terribly important subject and told in a brave and unique way but not until later in the film, when the filmmakers decide they’re not trying to be ‘Revenge of the Nerds’, ‘Sixteen Candle’s,’ or your basic romantic comedy, will you feel that it is. Had they stayed away from the horrible character of the principal (Hale), it might not have been judged so harshly but at times it was so over the top, especially with him, that I can’t help mention how mediocre it could be at times. To break the vibe of faculty trying too hard to fit in comes the drama teacher, Ms. Albright, played by Natasha Rothwell. She was hysterical and it’s her class that not only gives Simon the first true place he can feel himself but gives the film its first real laughs, as well.

In the end, all Simon wants is to be accepted and that makes the film relatable. Most of us, at one point or another in our lives, have felt that very same way. The circumstances may have been different but being acknowledged as part of a pack has been ingrained in us. Simon is no different. The scenes primarily take place in his high school so the movie will have a younger audience who understands the roles of electronics and the complications of having them in their lives.

In the library, Simon begins an email exchange with someone who wishes to remain anonymous, as does Simon. This person calls himself ‘Blue.’ After these emails begin, Simon desires more and more to meet him and tell the world that he loves him. What ends up happening is that Simon spends the rest of the film trying to figure out who Blue is. They do a great job of hiding this from you!

Simon struggles with his own way of coming out to everyone but, unlike Blue, doesn’t get to decide the time, someone chooses it for him. An all-student online chat has been created where the students do and say horrible things about one another and, in a scenario that’s hard to believe would happen, Simon’s announcement is made here. Blue sees this and, afraid the same thing will happen to him, decides to step away.

Essentially, we’ve seen this movie before, just not with two young men. But, as I’ve mentioned, when ‘Love, Simon’ shifts from comedy gear to a more serious tone, the movie stops trying to imitate and becomes a special piece to witness. What they’ve done well, works to close the film and has you leaving with a sense of fulfillment. It’s dramatic and emotional and wins you over because the rom-com formula doesn’t work and that’s not hard to see but you will enjoy it for what it is.

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