Having You

Jack Turner (Andrew Buchan ) finally proposes to the long time girlfriend. But out of the blue, a hook-up from months ago turns up on his door step. Anna ( Anna Friel ) has a seven year old. And wants to know if it's Jack's kid. Of course, the right thing to do is immediately tell the new fiancee Camilla, but will he? Is Phoenix really his kid? Of course, he doesn't tell the fiancee about his situation, and it snowballs into bigger trouble. Like we all knew it would. Written and directed by british director Sam Hoare. His first ful length film, having directed two shorts before this. Here's a secret.... Romola Garai (Camilla) is married to the director. Good film. Cute. Good story, good acting. And a cute little song at the very end...not sure of the title. Cute Little One? Richard Thomas FInn? The plot of the film sure sounds like someone's personal experience. Good stuff.

(28%) A sweet, perfectly acceptable, yet hugely unremarkable family based drama with a real flavour of a TV movie of the week about it. Nothing here really feels, low budget or not, like an actual feature film. This if anything is nothing more than a two part drama series that you'd expect to see at nine o'clock on ITV with its solid; yet nothing special cast of bit part actors, routine direction, and predictable plot. Despite the fact that this belongs on the small screen there's enough here to keep itself going, and the ending will tug at even the most cold of heart, but there's nothing here anyone needs to see.

An unexpected gem.

I started watching this on TV without having heard of it or seen any inkling of what it was about. I was immediately taken in by the story, which portrays a normal, good, average guy dealing with a difficult situation. It managed to capture my attention quickly because of its carefully crafted portrayal of life as it often is; flawed, imperfect, but ultimately well-meaning and plain "normal".

There is no unnecessary menace. No fabrication of conflict, often derived purely by the script-writers by forcing characters to "act stupid" in order to create drama that wouldn't otherwise exist (Walking Dead is a good example of that popular cinematic crime). Everyone (with perhaps the exception of the father, and Barry) makes decisions which we can all relate to, with no suspension of disbelief required. It is that which made the film both heartfelt, and truly engaging. At every turn I felt I could actually relate to the characters. A rare treat in this world of plastic cinema and counterfeit drama.

It is certainly slow moving, and lacking in "theatrics", but this is precisely why it works. It doesn't rely on cliches or any of the banal moralising tripe that swamps so many Hollywood films. The decisions and choices that the central characters makes are immediately humane and real.

If you like blockbusters, and only blockbusters, then you'll probably hate this film for its slow pace and lack of action. If, however, you aren't a soulless dolt then maybe you'll even shed a tear at the finale like I did. Unusually for me, I didn't feel totally manipulated in doing so.

Great cast, great script, great film.

Good actors immersed in their characters carrying us along their emotional journey. No heroes - real people are imperfect! No villains, although an occasional unlikable character.

In a time where so many films rely on special effects and extreme plot twists and turns, it's lovely to just settle into a film that will pull you in emotionally. Yes, it moves slowly, but it moves you, makes you identify with and empathize with these less than perfect people.

Jack's flaws are prominently displayed and yet we find ourselves sympathizing with him, understanding the choices he makes even if they are wrong, rooting for him to find his way.

Beautiful movie. Understated acting, but very expressive - the entire cast. Wonderful sound track. Lighting and sound extremely well done. (My hearing is not great and frequently small-budget movies, especially from the UK are marked by muffled dialogue.)

The story was moving without a wasted scene. In fact, a few of the scenes were so well done, and unveiled the interior life of the character so well, as to rank with the best I've watched in recent memory.

The ending was perhaps my least favorite part of the movie. It kept in tone with the rest, so it was of a piece. But it was unoriginal.

Last, both in the spots where the movie reached for laughs - and a few places where quirky acting hit me unexpectedly, I burst out laughing, which is rare for me. So many movies in this genre are just somber, or unable to hit the right comedic note - just the opposite here.

All told an extremely enjoyable film experience of the first order!