Janetcolgate

Just plain dull ... And boring ... And dare I say pointless and pretentious?

It took me 45 minutes to realise that nothing was going to happen in this film, and at this point I desperately hit Google on my phone to see if I was somehow missing the point or something really profound. I wasn't. The film, which detailed (and I mean really detailed) a father/daughter sun holiday, was about interesting as watching your great aunt's holiday photos of Rhyl on a slideshow in January. Yes, the performances were ok, but they were wasted on the monotony of an endless, interminable sequence of playing pool, eating meals, sleeping, and chatting with random strangers in the water. And all the while, nothing happened. They ate, they slept, they put sun cream on, and that was it for the entirety of the movie. Zzzzzzz.

The Dad had issues, but I couldn't have cared less as there was no explanation of what they were and why he was experiencing them. The girl was sweet, but that's about it ... In her own reflections of herself, from an adult perspective she was impeccably behaved and too good to be true (Really? Show me an 11 year old who is perfectly behaved on holidays).

I could go on about how boring this film was, but frankly I'm bored even thinking about it. So I'll stop here ...

I had no preconceptions or expectations when I went to see this film. I left the cinema feeling deeply moved, alongside a range of emotions including sadness and joy, amidst a sense that I had just been immersed in one of the best cinematic works of art in a very long time. In the jaded world of today's cinema where nothing is really new anymore, and movies peddle the Incredible, with disappointing over the top drama, this film's simplicity was its outstanding and defining feature. Accompanied by a haunting soundtrack, it tells the very human story of a man (Nighy) who has six months left to live and how he chooses to make his mark and get satisfaction from celebrating the ordinary and achieving a modest but much loved and celebrated goal. The performances were outstanding in their subtlety (who knew Nighy had such a beautiful singing voice), and the direction by Hermanus was perfect - designed to tell a simple story and get the best from the actors without being obtrusive or distracting. The setting in 1950s London, portraying a world of grey bureaucracy mirrors today's corporate, health, and social care world's perfectly, with the final message to embrace and accept that which "doesn't quite fit" sending a humorous yet pointed message to us all.

Definitely bring the tissues - but celebrate it too as one of the best films in years.