Beginners

source: Beginners

In Los Angeles in 2003, a man in his thirties (Ewan McGregor) connects with a woman (Melanie Laurent) despite both of them having relationship phobias. The film is in flashbacks and also tells the story of the man's father (Christopher Plummer) who came out of the closet in his seventies to live as a gay man. The plotlines are simple and subtle. Yet, director/writer Mike Mills shows great compassion for all of his characters and their situations which include terminal illness and the denial of it, difficult parental issues, mourning, needy dogs, incomplete marriages where one spouse is gay in the 1950s, and gay history. Every character is flawed and comes across as quite loveable nonetheless. It is also a pleasure that the romance between the main players shows genuine warmth and vulnerability rather than the usual *. With beautiful piano music accompanying this film, it was overall a sweet pleasure. - dbamateurcritic

its great virtue is the accuracy to present sides of solitude. the need to escape from yourself. the small joy, the fight against death, the ordinaries duties who defines choices, the run to a sketch of happiness. the acting does each of points credible and almost seductive. a film about beginnings. and the revelations of the trip. slice of ordinary life, it is a film who not must be nice or victim of success. but only a slice of small conflicts and strange solutions. and could be enough. because it is simple to transforms reality in your shadow. the performance of Christopher Plummer is one of the most important arguments.

This was real. There was no stunts and no amazing features. This film represented real life and it did it perfectly. It's simply flawless. You can learn so much by simply watching this film. You know when you first watch the film what is going to happen. This isn't going to be a happy ever after and you know that. But, it's how things unfold that is really interesting. I didn't expect this film to be this good. It's interesting to see how the main character tackles things, and it's interesting how previous events in his life shaped the way he is. This happens to us all but to see it in someone else is extremely interesting and eye opening. The film is about how things unfold and what the characters say. Like I said... You already know what's going to happen in the end but that doesn't mean the film is rubbish, it's quite the opposite.

Beginners is a 'feel good' movie. It goes on with a steady pace telling the story of the characters and how their lives are so very similar on various steps. Its the story of Oliver, his relationship with his father in his father's final moments and his new and exciting yet unpredictable relationship with Anna. I adored the music score of the movie. Its just it, what it should be, it is. Those flashbacks also, when they relate Oliver's present situation to his past. But the part "this is what the sun looks like...." narrated by Oliver was amazing. Great performance by all actors and great editing, i mean this is exactly this movie should have, i don't think they could have added any other connecting scene or even change placement for any scene, this is what a perfect story telling must be, was my thought during the film.

'Beginners' is An Honest Film, that is straightforward & real. Sure, it's not flawless, but yet, it does work. Also the performances, are hugely impressive. 'Beginners' Synopsis: A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover. 'Beginners' is meant for a certain audience, and looking from that perspective, it works as a genuine dramedy. Mike Mills's Screenplay wonderfully presents the relationship between A Father & Son. The Love-Story, also, has a certain warmth. Mill's Direction, also, is sincere. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are passable. Performance-Wise: Ewan McGregor is excellent, as expected. He plays the protagonist with such ease & patience, that he indeed leaves you spell-bound. Christopher Plummer is subdued. Mélanie Laurent is superb. On the whole, If you want to watch a genuine dramedy, I suggest you check 'Beginners' out.

A man in the beginning middle-age meets this lovely girl and starts to remember his father, who came out as gay at 75. That's not the most important thing, He also remembers how he felt abandoned during childhood, how his parents felt that way, and how he now abandons himself, as a way to make life live-able. A self psycho-analysis, which is needed to be able to start life. As a beginner. Ewan McGregor is great, making it possible to read his character's feelings more through face expression than words. This is not a masterpiece, but a movie more intelligent than average.

Cosmo the dog was great but the movie was so bad it must have ruined his career because he has no other movies to his credit. The movie itself is a real sleeper. The only empathetic character was Cosmo. There were no other characters worthy of my care or concern. Because it was rated R I held out hope that there would at least be some sex in it... hopefully between a man and a woman, but alas, I was disappointed again. Were there still drive-ins today this would be a great movie to take your date to since there would be nothing to distract her attention. That's really all I have to say except that I have to add more lines but the movie doesn't warrant it. It is not the worst movie I have seen but its certainly a long way from the best.

I'm afraid, another example of a 'clever' film, which to my mind totally missed the point: CHARACTERS: Couldn't care less about any of them. COMEDY: This is described as a comedy. I was NOT laughing. STORY: Dull. Predictably, it just comes to an end all of a sudden.. but not soon enough. - GRAFFITI SCENES: Obtuse. I wonder how the production team would feel about some self-absorbed 30+ year old muppets defacing their walls & garage doors? ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: No Points. There really is nothing more to saw about this film. However, I am required to have 10 lines of text in order to submit a review. Therefore, I am just writing this to make up the space. Have a great day - you could start by not watching this film. If you want something romantic, have a look at The Notebook - that is great. I thank you...

I generally agree with Roger Ebert, but in this case, I couldn't disagree more. There is no way that this meandering, waste of time could be considered uplifting. The movie was plodding and story and character development was excruciatingly slow. Many movies make some use of flashbacks, but this movie uses them constantly, and after a short while they get tiresome, particularly when we rarely learn much new. When the best moments come from a dog (subtitles) you know that there couldn't have been much to the movie. I have never written a review before, despite being a big fan of movies, but this was so bad, I couldn't let it pass.