Ordinary Love

A slow-paced, thoughtful, minutely-observed drama following the progress of a long-married couple after a cancer diagnosis. Superbly acted, the couple are as familiar to each other as a pair of warm slippers, but their relationship is strained as chemotherapy and the unspoken fear of the final separation take their toll. Hovering behind them throughout everything is the ghost of their daughter, whose death is never explained but who is never far away. The movie does not rub our noses in medical horrors, but at the same time it faithfully chronicles the process of cancer treatment without ever resorting to sentimentality. Liam Neeson is a terrific actor. Presumably, a relentlessly low-key movie such as this signifies that he's no longer interested in super-stardom (if indeed he ever was) and is simply doing stuff that he really wants to do. Long may it continue.

I am disappointed. This movie is only good because it looks real and deals with good topic (cancer, disease, problems) and slightly to none emotional. But too much talk, boring, that I had to keep 50% of the time my focus on something else than movie. I think that movies that had much more action were at the same time much more emotional, yet in this one, even although there is nothing more (action, content) to see it also did not present us well its main genres (drama, romance). There are much better even amateur romantic and dramatic movies in form of comedies, superheroes etc.

source: Ordinary Love

Ordinary Love is a really surprising film. It's by no means a perfect film but it is a really enjoyable film with emotion done well without feeling too over the top especially for a cancer film. Liam Neeson and Lesley Manville are really great here. They really do carry this film. Since it is primarily focused on these two characters and pretty much no one else. Liam Neeson is really great here and it makes me wonder why he hasn't done more action films. Overall it's a very simple told very effectively. It does have a lot emotion and it really does work especially the ending. But it's definitely worth watching.

THINGS I LIKED: It's a beautifully made film; however, it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I love watching Liam Neeson kick bad-guy butt, but it was nice to see him as a gentle, kind husband. Lesley Manville is absolutely fantastic and should receive an Oscar nomination next year for her work in this film. She gave it her all. She was also outstanding in Phantom Thread . It was fascinating to watch her go through the ordeal that turned her life upside down, yet in one scene she tells someone she doesn't think she has changed. Some beautiful black and white silhouettes and other vignettes. Fantastic camera work that displays symbolism. It's a very slow-paced journey. The couple bickers about ordinary things in such a loving, humorous way that it feels so real. Their conversations are about nothing, yet everything. They show genuine affection and friendship that Liam and Lesley are extremely believable together. The script was very thoughtful and never overly sentimental, which it could have been. In the closing credits, you can see that a lot of research went into the writing to be accurate, realistic, and respectful. The grey color palette made you really feel the dark cloud that rolled over the couple's life. TIPS FOR PARENTS: As the movie is about breast cancer, you see a lot of shots with a topless woman from the side and back. At the 1:11 mark, you see full-on, topless front view. You see a couple going for a rumble in bed with sound effects. Kids will be very bored. Some adults will be too. death, funeral, tombstone scenes THEMES: If you're a woman, get a mammogram this week. Life and death Hope When one person in a family has cancer, the entire family has cancer. Grief Marriage and friendship Fear and courage Weakness and strength You can watch the rest of my movie review on YouTube on my Movie Review Mom channel!

"Ordinary Love" (2019 release from the UK; 92 min.) brings the story of Tom and Joan. As the movie opens, Tom and Joan are taking their daily walk along the water, and we then see them watching telly. When Joan takes a shower, she feels a lump in her left breast. She goes to the doctor and after a mammogram, she gets the news that she has cancer... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from the Northern Ireland husband and wife co-directors Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Layburn. Here they examine the fallout of dealing with cancer on a long-married couple. There isn't much of a plot, other than to see whether Joan makes it through. Instead, we look at the devastating effect of dealing with cancer on their daily lives. Hospital visit after hospital visit. "I'm frightened", Joan confesses to Tom, and he tries to be supportive as best as he can, all along being frightened himself (but not saying so to Joan). There are some side stories that bear out on this but which I don't want to spoil here. Just watch. What makes this movie different is that it isn't your typical Hollywood cancer drama (think: The Fault In Our Stars; A Walk to Remember, etc.), but instead a nitty gritty look at dealing with cancer. Some scenes are difficult to watch, and other will move you to tears. The two leads are outstanding, with Leslie Manville as Joan and Liam Neeson as Tom. Neeson returns to his Northern Irish roots for this film, and thankfully stays MILES away from his recent action figure characters (the "Taken" franchise, "The Commuter:, "Cold Pursuit"). It is easily his best role in YEARS. "Ordinary Love" premiered at last Fall's Toronto International Film Festival to immediate critical acclaim, and is now getting a limited US theater release. It opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and the Saturday matinee screening where I saw this at was attended so-so (8 people in total). No, this film isn't going to amass big box office, as for that it's way too difficult to watch, but if you look behind the obvious struggles of these people, you'll notice a celebration of deep love and friendship, and indeed life itself. If that appeals to you, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you still can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

I wonder what happened to Hollywood drama. The only storyline is a) someone in the family/couple is dying of cancer b) that's it.

I saw this film for lead actors. The story, at the first sigh, is too personal . And it was one of films responding, in precise and fair manner to my expectations. Because it gives the portrait of realities behind the words. Because the acting is beautiful, the story touching and, if you have one of slice from it in your own life, you know , in dipper way , why this film is special, sure, only as sketch. A powerful love story. And a great picture of fight for survive.

Neeson and Manville have a chemistry that I have rarely seen. Their banter their body languague everything is so believable and relatable. They share a love that is in the little things. They don't have to talk about love you can see it in the way they spend their time together. Watch them go through the worst of times always knowing that they have each other. A great movie about sacrifice, love, loyalty and hope. Honest in it's pictures and performances.

As I watched this I found myself wondering how younger folks react to this movie. My wife and I are in a similar situation, older, retired, and long-time married. Our daily life and conversations are not that different from what is depicted here. Lesley Manville (early 60s) is Joan and Liam Neeson (late 60s) is her husband Tom. As the movie begins they are on one of their walks, her short legs must move almost twice as fast as his. After they cross the bridge and get to a certain tree they turn around and head back. About 12 months later the movie ends the very same way. In between Joan discovers a lump in one of her breasts and this starts a series of doctor visits, hospital visits, treatments, and making unexpected new friends. The movie examines the relationship between the long-time married couple, their devotion to each other, their working together to get past this big speed bump in life. This is a good movie, we enjoyed it at home on DVD from our public library. Romantic attraction is usually what gets a couple together but ordinary love is what keeps them together.