How About You...

The lonely souls that are forced to live in places like Woodlands, one imagines would be more attuned to bonding with peers and form long time friendships with similar folks in their own circumstances. Alas, the people in this lovely Irish senior center appear to be mean spirited individuals at the end of their lives. The lead bitter existences as they have no interest in mingling with people they clearly abhor.

We come into this milieu where a four of the residents don't have a place where to spend Christmas. It is Ellie, the young sister of the woman that runs the place to stay behind to take care of this quartet. When she doesn't get anywhere with them, she lets them all know how she feels about their rudeness and ill manners. Instead of angering them, she rouses them up and make them come to their senses.

The foursome consists of Donald, the retired judge, who must have things his way. Georgia, the former showgirl who loves her martinis in a certain way. The bickering sisters Heather and Hazel Nightingale complete the group. When Ellie explodes and tells them truths they haven't heard in a while, they wake up to reality. Thus, for the Christmas dinner, Ellie decides to take the residents to a nearby town to get the ingredients. Together, they will have a great time and come together in ways no one even thought possible.

Anthony Byrne directed the film, which is based on a Mave Benchley short story. He couldn't have asked for a better cast, Vanessa Redgrave, Joss Ackland, Imelda Staunton and Brenda Flicker are seen in the major parts. They are joined by Hayley Atwell who is perfect for the role of Ellie.

This film will appeal to audiences of a certain age who will appreciate the nuances in the story and will certainly enjoy the magnificent cast chosen to bring it to life.

I have just seen How About You at its U.S. premiere as part of the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Although there are, as we've grown to expect, beautifully judged performances from Joss Ackland, Brenda Fricker, Imelda Staunton and Vanessa Redgrave, to say nothing of the up-and-coming younger actors, the highlight for me was the performance of Irish actress Joan O'Hara, whom I did not know. Ms O'Hara gave us the most beautiful, sensitive, intelligent face of a very mature woman I have ever seen, a face which the camera seemed to caress in closeup. I was saddened to learn that Joan O'Hara herself died in July 2007 and this may have been her final performance.

Greetings again from the darkness. Based on a short story by Maeve Binchy, this film is prevented from going too deeply thanks to the TV direction of Anthony Byrne. This one really has the feel and pace of a Hallmark Movie of the Week ... only with a really nice cast.

Hayley Atwell (The Duchess) plays Elle, the black sheep of the family, who shows up unannounced at the private retirement center her big sis owns. The home is struggling due to the rude behavior exhibited by four of the residents played by Brenda Fricker and Imelda Staunton (as sisters), Vanessa Redgrave (a former performer who longs for the spotlight again) and grumpy, lonely widower Joss Ackland (from the EverReady Bunny commercials, and for his line "Diplomatic Immunity" in Lethal Weapon 2). These four don't much like each other and certainly don't care for any others. Until ... you guessed it ... Elle reminds them what living is all about.

Must also mention a terrific supporting turn by Joan O'Hara, who brings a little wisdom and a twinkle in the eye to Elle. Sadly Ms. O'Hara passed not long after filming. I really thought Ms. Staunton stood out for her interesting portrayal of the co-dependent sister with a dark family secret. Well, at least it is dark for this film, which again, just doesn't dig too deeply into anything.

A message film with the simple message that loneliness should be avoided and don't stop living until you have taken your last breath. The title song is played at least 3 different ways in the film.

I saw this last month at the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival where it was among the 10 films selected as Audience Favorites. It features a great cast of seasoned stage and film veterans as a group of nursing home residents not fondly referred to as "The Hardcore." Well, it isn't actually a nursing home but a posh assisted living retirement home in Ireland's lovely Wicklow area. Kate Harris (Orla Brady) runs the retirement home that she started out of an old estate she bought. Her younger college dropout sister Ellie (Hayley Atwell) needs a place to live for a while so she has moved in to work as a staff member. Christmas is a time where most of the residents leave to spend time at the homes of family members except for a group of four. This dysfunctional bunch cause a lot of problems and keep the home from full residency because potential residents refuse to live under the same roof as them. Donald Vanston (Joss Ackland) was a judge whose alcoholic lifestyle forced him off the bench. Georgia Platts (Vanessa Redgrave) was once a glamorous stage and screen star who has chosen to drop out of society. Hazel Nightengale (Imelda Staunton) and her sister Heather (Brenda Fricker) are two spinster sisters who can't cope with life. Hazel is only 50 and doesn't even belong in a retirement home but can't live away from her domineering older sister Heather. Kate is suddenly called away as Christmas approaches and Ellie is left in charge of the gang of four as all the other residents and staff have left for their Christmas vacations. Additional supporting roles are the late Joan O'Hara in her final screen role as Alice Peterson, Elizabeth Moynihan as the stern Nurse Healey and Darragh Kelly as Mr. Evans, the government's mean retirement home inspector who would like to see the home shut down. Anthony Byrne directs. Jean Pasley adapts the screenplay from a short story by popular Irish writer Maeve Binchy. Veteran cameraman Des Whelan is cinematographer. Nial Byrne provided the music score. This is a good film and it's premise and cast naturally appeals to an older audience but the role of Ellie keeps things pretty hip. I would give this an 8.5 out of 10 and recommend it.

How About You is an uplifting little film about human interaction, but shouldn't be taken too seriously.

The film centres on the relationship between a young girl left in charge of an old people's home run by her sister. Sweet, funny moments occur, although many are predictable and overdone. The characters transform themselves far too swiftly, so the film loses in credibility. It is, nonetheless, a pleasant watch and an agreeable alternative to typical American romantic comedies.

Redgrave and Staunton deliver excellent performances as usual, but this film definitely wasn't a challenge to either. Atwell (the younger sister) was very much lacking in subtlety, although the fault may lie with the director or writer rather than the actress.

How About You should be watched as a fun way to wind down the day, but not as an example of Vanessa Redgrave and Imelda Staunton showing what they're truly capable of.

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