23 Walks

Undaunted by the rather lacklustre rating that 23 Walks had received on IMDB, I approached the film with an open mind. A film with Alison Steadman and Dave Johns in the central roles, set against a backdrop of London's beautiful Hampstead Heath, and telling the tale of a late-flowering romance would be, at the very least, a painless way to pass an hour and three quarters. Sadly, I was disappointed. The film never really seemed to come together. Steadman and Johns worked with an underwhelming script and never exhibited as actors the chemistry that their characters were supposed to be experiencing - I found myself wondering more than once just what it was that Fern (Steadman) and Dave (Johns) saw in each other . A good director should always strive to bring out the best in the cast but all too often I found that the finished product felt like a recording of a rehearsal, with the leads struggling to find the correct timing or natural rhythm in their often unnatural sounding dialogue. The storyline swung back and forth in a manner too restless for a movie of this nature rendering it an unconvincing battle against the odds, rather than a gentle rom-com. I have given 23 Walks six points when in fact, it only merits five and a half.

Found the circumstances to be very relatable and a good reflection of modern, messy, complicated life. Reminded me that - no matter our age - there's plenty of life to live and that, by embracing the grief that life delivers to us all, we can learn to live in the moment with grief as a constant, but not dominant, companion. Glad we discovered this little gem.

I enjoyed this film very much. The characters are a similar age to myself. And the depiction of a relationships and issues in later life are very true to life. It's very well written and the actors are well cast. The pace and direction is just right.

This is a sweet film. Lots of snarky family telling older people what to do and how to do it. The dogs made the film!! Of course. Don't they always? Good scenery! The concept of counting walks with the dogs to meander along with this couple was a sweet way to segue from one day to another.

Coming of age films come in various categories. It is not just Stand By Me becoming a teenager, or graduating from high school as in American Grafitti, or becoming an adult as in The Graduate and Young Adult, with Charlize Theron. No, coming of age does not stop there. It continues when we learn about raising families, and continues further when our families leave us to move on to adulthood themselves. Finally, we come to our senior years and we have all been there and done that. This little film shows how life is still interesting way past your sixties. Nice acting job by both leads and good direction.

It's an OK movie, for those people who are over 50.

Wonderful story and reminiscing about my roots in North London.

I enjoyed 23 Walks, perhaps because I'm now of the age of the lead characters who discover love against the odds. I became an admirer of Dave Johns in I, Daniel Blake, and in this film, in my opinion, he comes up trumps again, playing everyman to perfection. This is a slice of the lives of two ordinary people, dealing with ordinary situations in a natural, human way. I for one am glad that such films are being made.

I didn't see that this movie deserved less than a 7 and can't see why a lot of reviewers gave it a 3 or 2. These are both notable actors who were very natural in an awkward and difficult situation they portrayedto. How do you handle the need for companionship in the later years of life within their situation. In my opinion a well done and a captivating film. As a dog owner the loss of Tilley was actually felt and the dog who played her should be up for an award along with the dog who played Henry, who both kept my attention throughout. It is a recommended watch.

Why does Graham Cole (a.k.a PC Stamp) get top billing?Dave Johns and Alison Steadman are the only major characters and they do a fine job with a script that lacks originality or plot. I was expecting a major incident to launch the story but it never happened. There is, of course, great care to achieve racial balance and this adds to the impression that the whole movie is calculated and formulaic. Anyone familiar with the book / film "Our Souls at Night" will see the similarities. There must be an untapped market for love stories involving aged baby-boomers but this attempt covers old ground. It is tedious and just runs out of steam. Very disappointing.