Hampstead

"Do you drink too much all the time? No, only when I drink."

You're lying relaxed on your sofa on a Saturday night and you don't have the energy to do something useful? Well, that will certainly not change after watching this romantic comedy which takes place in the vicinity of Hampstead Heath. The whole film proceeds at a leisurely pace and tells about the strange relationship between Emily (Diane Keaton) and Donald (Brendan Gleeson). Emily is a middle-aged widow living in a respectable appartment opposite Hampstead park. Donald is a wayward tramp living in a little self-build shack in that same park, growing his own potatoes and carrots and fishing for lunch in the local pond. The two relate to eachother as yin and yang. Emily is having money troubles after the death of her husband, who left her a mountain of debt. She works voluntarily in an Oxfam clothing store and is reasonably socially engaged. Donald, on the other hand, never worries about money and wants everyone to leave him alone. In his eyes, the rest of the community consists of money-minded egocentric know-it-alls who do not understand and appreciate his wilful lifestyle.

The advantage of films such as "Hampstead", is that you won't be flabbergasted by it. You get a warm and blissful feeling from it and your brain cells are spared an exhausting effort. My philosophizing about "being amazed while watching a movie" (read my review about "Paddington 2" once again) isn't applicable to this film, because there's really nothing to be surprised about. The choice of its title is quite obvious. And when Emily looks unconsciously with binoculars through the attic window and thus discovers the bare belly of a bathing Donald, you immediately know what the tree-hugging activist is planning to do. What follows is a succession of endearing conversations and predictable misunderstandings. Fortunately, it doesn't lapse into romantic excesses and we are simply witnessing a burgeoning friendship between two individuals who have their own personal problems. One person fails to make ends meet financially and her gossiping high-society neighbor tries to link her to an accountant. The other is urged to leave his premises or he'll be expecting some legal proceedings. Well, it's clear from the beginning how this will resolve itself.

I really enjoy the acting of Diane Keaton. In every film she's the personification of a very cozy, hugely affectionate and huggable elderly lady. Such a granny who looks immensely friendly, helpful and old-fashioned. And on that level, she's of course the correct choice to play the character Emily in this not so surprising film. Because to be honest, it seems as if Diane Keaton always plays the same movie character. I'm sure Diane Keaton is a similar person in real life and thus plays herself all the time. Brendan Gleeson, on the other hand, was a joy to watch. A bearded garden gnome who's sometimes a real old grumbler but next shows he also owns a caring heart. Even though they look like an odd couple and it feels as if they don't really belong together, I can understand that someone like Emily can succumb to the sometimes hidden charms of Donald.

Apparently the story is based on true facts but some things are a bit romanticized and made up. The whole thing reminded me of "5 Flights up" where Diane Keaton also had a real estate problem together with Morgan Freeman. "Hampstead" is like some household tasks. You do not necessarily have to do them, but if you can bring yourself to carry them out, it won't hurt either. So it's not required to watch this average, easy-going romantic comedy. But if you do, it won't seem as if you've ruined your precious time.

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So lovely to see Diane Keaton play a character who thinks she doesn't do anything. I think that feeling is common among givers. They give without realizing they're giving. She's getting to the end of her life and suddenly she realizes she doesn't have anything or anyone. I was moved to see in Keaton's eyes that youthful realization of love. This charming surprise of a film has other hidden pleasures, Brendan Gleeson for instance, his tender wild human is a delight, not to mention Lesley Manville - her scenes are filled with a comic energy that never goes over the top, a real treat. And then Simon Callow as the judge is the icing on the cake. Enjoy.

Importing a Hollywood veteran into a quintessentially English romantic comedy can sometimes be magic, sometimes not. Hampstead (2017) might have been a great British romantic comedy but instead it must work with an inauthentic American personality who limits the film's impact. Fortunately, brilliant cinematography rescues the film enough to produce a visually delicious but lightweight story of late-life romance between a lady and a tramp.

Based on a true story, Donald Horner (Brendan Gleeson) has been a squatter on London's Hampstead Heath for 17 years. He is a surly off-the-grid loner who avoids all trappings of modern life in a quaint shanty shack built from other people's rubbish. Within a binocular's view from across the road, American widow Emily Walters (Diane Keaton) spies him bathing in the pond and out of curiosity soon invents an excuse to meet him. Property developers have targeted the land, and Donald must defend himself from an eviction notice. He becomes a cause celebre with do-gooders and naysayers petitioning for and against his squatter's rights while he and Emily get together despite pushback from her posh Pommy friends. This predictable narrative of tramp versus society offers modest delights but few surprises.

There are three noteworthy parts to this uneven film: the cinematography and the two co-stars. The first is simply wonderful: Hampstead village and the Heath are lovingly filmed and the charming shanty shack look like something out of a fairy tale. Every time Donald or Emily walk down the narrow track into the woods it becomes an act of escapism from urban living and entry into a floral wonderland. Brendan Gleeson is cast to perfection as a girthsome giant with craggy features and expressive eyes. His Irish accent complements the natural beauty of the Heath to which he convincingly belongs. And then there is Diane Keaton. What made her famous forty years ago in Woody Allen films do not translate easily to this contemporary British rom-com. The camera has tried too hard and its efforts are just too obvious: repeat use of backlit shots, glowing soft-focus, cutesy beret hat and Annie Hall smiles make it hard to engage with her character as a real person. In contrast to Donald's melodic Irish-ness, Emily's timing and tone are often grating. For example, when Donald's home of 17 years is cruelly trashed in a turning point moment, Emily's breezy response might work in New York but here is totally disengaged from what has just happened.

Donald's story is based on a real character and a real fight between a homeless eccentric and the imperatives of capitalism so there is a serious side to Hampstead. But this lightweight rom-com is unlikely to raise consciousness of what is means to be homeless. The lukewarm chemistry between the senior lovebirds will excite few and the sleep-inducing musical score even less. Whether casting Keaton can add American baby boomer audiences to an essentially home-grown British story remains to be seen. Filmmakers sometimes need reminding that older viewers can handle more challenge than one-dimensional films like Paris Can Wait (2017) and Hampstead (2017).

I had serious doubts about Hempstead but with Keaton, Gleason, and a relatively short run time, I thought I'd give it a try. There are some predictable and sappy moments throughout but, in the end it's an easy, and pleasant film. It's based on a true story. Check it out for something light and breezy.

This is very different from most films, not sure I would call it a comedy, but no foul language, interesting characters from the irish chap living on the heath to the leading (American) living in luxury she cant afford across from the Heath. Most enjoyable, very different and highly recommended. Brendan Gleeson is a joy to watch