The 7.39

I approached this movie thinking it can't be much --- and I'm glad to state I was wrong.

The story is easy to understand --- life can become a rut and then you find yourself stuck in a daily routine. The rewards become transparent and frustration can set in quickly.

Here we have two people, Carl & Sally, who come to cross purposes on a commuter train one morning. With an apology later from Carl the ice is broken between our two characters. They both find out through just daily talking that there is a common thread between them. A friendship develops and then more comes into their lives.

What's so marvelous about 'The 7:39' is how the relationship progresses and the brilliant ability of the writer and director to keep this old and over told story consistently fresh and lively, start to finish.

It's 2 hours long but it's worth the watching !!!

The 7:39 was shown over two nights and is a modern reworking of Brief Encounter which is was itself was re-jigged in 1984 as 'Falling in Love' when it starred Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.

David Morrissey and Sheridan Smith meet during an early commute to London where they argue over a seat. In subsequent encounters during the morning rush hour, they form a friendship and later have a steamy affair.

David Morrissey is the middle aged, middle management worker in commercial property with a horrible boss. he hates the daily grind of going and coming back from work.

He is married to Olivia Coleman, they have two teenage children, one about to go to university. He finds that for the first time in years he has a buzz and a spring in his step because of the affair.

Sheridan Smith is a personal trainer engaged to get married but unsure as to whether to commit and this affair with an older man seems to provide a pleasant diversion.

Of course we have the predictable consequences with Morrissey not performing in his job effectively and getting fired, Coleman finding out about the affair and finally being confronted by Smith's boyfriend.

An enjoyable drama, light on its feet, not heavy handed. The workplace scenes were so true to life with the actor playing Morrissey's boss nailing the part of the slimy, douche-bag.

Just a shame the serial was a bit by the numbers.

A British television movie, splits into two parts of each 60 minutes long. From the writer of 'One Day' who once again wrote a beautiful screenplay. Portrayal of the romantic drama from the perspective of the middle-aged people. Indeed, specially made movie for them, it explores the midlife crises in the marriage and spiritless mechanical life that follows the day after the day. Now, you guys have to switch your mind to google map mode: The story told between the two points of life's map, one is where the home and the family is, dot, and the other one is an office and the job, dot. To describe it mathematically, between these points there comes a line which is practically a boring journey.

The majority won't enjoy leaving home for the work, especially on the Monday morning. The bad day begins with shouting for someone who come across your car front, or fight for a seat in the train and bus. The same way this story appear to have a life where two odd people meet. Carl married with two children and Sally engaged to marry soon. So the days follow everything changes and the journey turns more cheerful than ever. Their little friendship ends in flirtation, but well realising they won't accept the truth. Can they remain good friends, or ready to face the consequences and how their families affect by this is the rest of the riddle.

It just seems... Futile.

After seeing the first quarter of the movie, it reminded me James Siegel's 'Derailed'. I thought I was an inch closer to predict the second part, but the story was smartly moved to the other way. An interesting story development followed further going towards the end of the first half. In the second part, everything slowdowns, but still gripping because it was a crucial stage in the storytelling to solve the puzzle that created in the earlier. Not an over melodramatic or the sexual exploration, but the point is very clear to give us a fair bit amount of everything with the realistic outlook as much possible.

With the sense of awareness of our responsibility in life we know that cheating in a marriage is morally wrong, but it depends what type of life we're leading. There's nothing specialty in this film compared to other movies of the same theme, but the portrayal makes the poetic rendering. Maybe the actors were too good with the excellent chemistry. Yep, you can't just keep silent, these guys filled the souls to their characters, certainly appreciation follows after a watch. While a watch, all my thinking was on the end part, how it's going to happen. A simple and usual, but definitely a very good solution, highly satisfying, makes the overall movie is the best piece of carving. Simply wondered how this movie can't fit to be a silver- screen product.

8/10

There is so very little to look forward to on telly these days, but this is just incredible. A host of great people, great characters and a great script. I have read all the typically superfluous comments re. Oh the 7.39 is always so crowded, where is the fat balding bloke etc etc. the 7.39 does not go from West Sussex to paddington. I am a railway enthusiast and even I groaned at that one !! Having been fortunate enough to experience a very intense wonderful affair of this type, this is so realistic, I was spell bound and cannot wait for tonight. The looks, the subtle body language, the doubt, the intense rush it's all there and yes I hope the lust will be there as well. Well it is 2014, even if it's the London commuter belt and all that and the stuffy old south of England !! Well done the BBC for showing this, well done to the actors and actresses a modern day Brief Encounter, fantastic !! More please.

... how many people would change partners were opportunity presented as in this fairly well-made-good little mini-series... here these-two made to appear as really very nice-decent-individuals, just happening to meeting-having-sex-regularly because they can, and really are very sexually attracted to one another

... it's well made and appealing, just a bit hollow, along with evidencing why divorce rates are high world over... commitment crushed by passion till awakening or rationality (or nature) intervenes-returns

... and not that all these works need-require-nudity, yet making this here storyline more authentic, today's expressive-audiences increasingly sense its absence-avoidance.