Customer Reviews

Mike Leigh nearly at his best - By: Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane, 25 Jun 2007
There are a lot of excellent thingsin this film. The central partnership of Cyril & Shirley is warm & touching - two really nice, interesting & amusing people - & they are beautifully acted by Phil Davis & Ruth Sheen, whose wonderfully expressive face is a delight. The plight of his old Mum, bewildered, negative & not coping, is bitter-sweet, with some rather black humourin the bleakness. The film is often very funny, & some dialogue is sharp & effective. But some things to me don't ring true. The over-the-top middle class couple are not just ghastly, (David Bamber & Lesley Manville, good enoughin the roles) they are grotesque & beyond belief, & so particularly is Cyril's hysterical sister. This is the world of 'Abigail's Party', but a shade more extreme and, I think, a step too far. Still, the film is enjoyable & the ending,
which is really a kind of happy ending though not one which comes close to resolving all of the issues raisedin the film, is rather poetic & certainly fitting. It's a good film, an enjoyable film, but with its patchy side.