Beginners

"Well, let's say that since you were little, you always dreamed of getting a lion. And you wait, and you wait, and you wait, and you wait but the lion doesn't come. And along comes a giraffe. You can be alone, or you can be with the giraffe."
"I'd wait for the lion."
"That's why I worry about you."

Oliver Fields (McGregor) is starting over after the death of his father, Hal (Plummer).  Oliver adopts his father's dog, Arthur, and tries to restart his life.  A few months later, he meets and falls for a free-spirited French actress, Anna (Laurent).

As he learns how to be in a relationship, he remembers his father.  After the death of Oliver's mother, Georgia (Keller), his father announces that he is gay.  At the age of 75, he feels he can finally embrace his true self.  Hal embraces life, joining book clubs and letter writing campaigns, and falls in love with a younger man, Andy (Visnjic).  Then he is disagnosed with cancer.  As father and son come to terms with the prognosis, can they find love, or do they sink into misery.


I didn't expect to like this film.  I thought I had it all figured out... especially after reading many negative reviews.  However, the film is intriguing.  You know how it ends, his father dies (it's not a spoiler, it's something you learn immediately), but the filmmakers wisely chose to tell the story in a different way.  The story is told through Oliver's perspective, with him remembering his childhood with his mother and the end of his father's life.  The story manages to walk the line between funny and heartbreaking, dipping into each emotion.

While the story is intriguing, not all of the characters work.  Christopher Plummer shines as Hal.  You know his ultimate fate, but you can't help but root for the man.  People fell in love with the character and Plummer's performance, nominating him for numerous awards, including an Oscar.  While Plummer is great, the most interesting character is Hal's wife Georgia, played by Mary Page Keller.  I wish her character was involved in more of the film.  The other great character is the dog.  He is adorable and heartbreaking.  Ewan McGregor carries the film well, but is not as interesting as other characters.  I enjoyed Melanie Laurent in Inglorious Basterds... she is o.k. here, but I didn't love her character.

Ultimately this is the kind of film that will divide audiences, but I think everyone can agree that Christopher Plummer deserves his award show buzz.

Beginners (2010) 105 minutes
Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Director: Mike Mills
Starring: Ewan McGregor as Oliver Fields
Christopher Plummer as Hal Fields
Melanie Laurent as Anna
Goran Visnjic as Andy
Kai Lennox as Elliot
Mary Page Keller as Georgia Fields