I'm not sure I'd describe Finding Your Feet as a feel good movie given some of its more dramatic moments but ultimately it does leave you in a good place.
The story centers around Sandra (Imelda Staunton), a middle class retiree who discovers her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend. With nowhere else to go she turns to her bohemian sister, Bif (Celia Imrie), who lives in an impoverished council estate flat.
As the title suggests we follow Sandra'a journey back to being a fully functioning individual.
To be honest the trailer for this had me expecting more of a comedy than this film actually is, and I expected Joanna Lumley to feature much more throughout.
That said, the film does have some exceptionally funny moments but also dives quite a bit deeper into the lives of the movie's three main characters - Timothy Spall being the third as Charlie.
The remaining cast are mostly there to support or progress the central three characters stories.
For the most part I enjoyed Finding Your Feet. It's a strong, character driven piece, with characters that feel real enough that you can identify with them on some level. Everyone delivers great performances with what they were given, though no one was particularly stretched with the material.
I would have liked to have seen more of Joanna Lumley in a bigger role. Her character, Jackie, didn't really have a lot to contribute to the story as a whole.
There's also a point in the film where clearly there's been a bit of a jump forward in time but we don't even get a montage to suggest time is passing. It's a little jarring but doesn't really matter in terms of affecting the plot.
Aside from those minor issues, it's a good story told well. Funny, poignant, and, ultimately, leaves you in a good place.
A great example for anyone reaching retirement with the thinking that their life is what it is with no room to be reinvigorated with new experiences.
The story centers around Sandra (Imelda Staunton), a middle class retiree who discovers her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend. With nowhere else to go she turns to her bohemian sister, Bif (Celia Imrie), who lives in an impoverished council estate flat.
As the title suggests we follow Sandra'a journey back to being a fully functioning individual.
To be honest the trailer for this had me expecting more of a comedy than this film actually is, and I expected Joanna Lumley to feature much more throughout.
That said, the film does have some exceptionally funny moments but also dives quite a bit deeper into the lives of the movie's three main characters - Timothy Spall being the third as Charlie.
The remaining cast are mostly there to support or progress the central three characters stories.
For the most part I enjoyed Finding Your Feet. It's a strong, character driven piece, with characters that feel real enough that you can identify with them on some level. Everyone delivers great performances with what they were given, though no one was particularly stretched with the material.
I would have liked to have seen more of Joanna Lumley in a bigger role. Her character, Jackie, didn't really have a lot to contribute to the story as a whole.
There's also a point in the film where clearly there's been a bit of a jump forward in time but we don't even get a montage to suggest time is passing. It's a little jarring but doesn't really matter in terms of affecting the plot.
Aside from those minor issues, it's a good story told well. Funny, poignant, and, ultimately, leaves you in a good place.
A great example for anyone reaching retirement with the thinking that their life is what it is with no room to be reinvigorated with new experiences.