ironhorse_iv Review of Beginners

Beginners (2010)

Let's begin, for Beginner's sake. I will just state out, that this movie was just alright.

[7/10 · 11 March 2015]

This is about a man overcoming many difficult challenges. When the title, suggested. He's beginning to learn the true meaning of life. While, trailers makes it seem like the main character is dealing with his father's struggle with cancer, while having a new relationship with a woman. It's not really doesn't started out like that. Beginners tells the story of Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor), a man reflecting on the life and death of his recent demise father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), while trying to forge a new life with a woman, Anna, (Mélanie Laurent). The movie is story about love. Love for your parents, love for your partner, and even love for your pets, but most of all, it's the story about love of life. Beginners manage to somewhat lightheartedly quirky, with its hilariously deadpan dialogue and clever narrative style, while also absolutely heartfelt, unafraid to delve into the aching emotional territories of lost. The movie deals with the issue of depression, in a smart, non-depressing way. I love the way, the movie tells the story. Beginners plays with all sorts of cinematic conventions from a silent-movie costume first meeting between Oliver and Anna, to Oliver talking to his dog through subtitles, and the way, they use drawings and photos to further the plot. Most of it was spot-on, but some moments were a bit befuddling in its art house like structure. The movie is also told, through interconnected flashbacks, while showing present day, scenarios. It can be a bit confusing at times as it's hard to figure out what time period, the movie is jumping back and forth, from. The smart humor is mostly a hit for me. While, it's not really that funny; just the way, it was delivered, was crafty, enough to get a smile, going. I love how the movie deals with motion of romance, but I do kinda criticize on how Anna and Oliver met. Honestly, what made Anna want to talk to Oliver? Is it because he seem depress? She seem like a stock character, a manic pixie dream. I didn't mind, Melanie Laurent's performance, but I didn't felt like the movie try as much as they should, in allowing us, the viewers to know her character, better. She was mostly there, just as eye candy and for Oliver to spit out dialogue. Honestly, for the most part, I was kinda hoping, she was just part of Oliver's mind, rather than a real character. It would make a lot more sense, since Oliver is still, dealing with the death of his father and his recent outing. Ewan McGregor is a great lead and I love his performance, but it felt more like a stock character. He was restrained yet emotional, but he felt like he was just there to be a narrator. He was really outperform by Christopher Plummer, and even the dog, playing Arthur. That was indeed, one cute dog! By far, the best thing in the movie has to be the Christopher Plummer's stoic character. He was indeed the life of the party. It's so unlike, his previous serious roles, where he known for harden rock-like mental resilience older figures. Its show that old dogs can indeed, learn new tricks. It also shows that romance isn't only for the straight young people. It shows that Individuals' sexual activity doesn't remained constant until about age 70. It could continue to keep going. I think this is one of the few movies that show homosexuals as real-life people. Hollywood has always wanted to show that they're not homophobic, at all, but they do overcompensate themselves by showing gay people in very infallible light. They never show them, making any mistakes. You clearly see being gay, isn't all flowers and sunshine, here. You see cheating in relationship and how even in LGBT's community, people can be a bit shallow. Writer/director Mike Mill, based this movie on his own father's story about coming out in age 75, although it's clearly highly fictionalized. The movie still does work. It's seem very realistic in portraying older gay men. It was so good at it, that Christopher Plummer received a numerous accolades, including the 2011 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance. While, the movie doesn't show anything in graphic detail, the language is clearly in adult driven. I think most people must go into this, knowing that. The movie has bit nudity, but nothing, too alarming. The movie has this French New Wave feel to it. Very Bohemian type of a film as if trying to seem non-American as possible, while, being set in odd looking Los Angeles. Everybody looks and acts French. It does seem a bit liberal postmodernism by design. One is having the movie set in 2003, where French and U.S relationship weren't the best of friends due to the opening of the Iraq War. The movie has tons of hundreds of hidden messages, about resistance against the government, but it comes off, more like shallow childish, cause the characters overacted due to people disagreeing with them over mediocre issues. Characters stealing skates, cause they wouldn't allow dogs in the building is a bit up overdramatic. They come off as rich and snobby. It's like they never heard of, people being allergic of dogs, before. I really couldn't stand them, at times. It's not like 2003 U.S was that bad to the point, that characters needed to graffiti buildings to make a statement. Come on! I can understand, if they were living poorly in an extreme fascism state, but it's clear that these people are well-off, living in the capitalism system as a cartoonist and actress. I wonder how they felt if a self-absorbed 30+ year old man defacing Oliver's walls at his work place. Very narcissism. Overall: While, the movie is pretty pointless, and predictable. It was indeed, a semi fun ride. I don't regard, watching it. I recommended it.