dallas_nyberg

To see two actors, who were primarily comedy players, switch to playing serious roles, is interesting.

Norman Wisdom, who always portrayed the buffoon in his movies, plays his part in this, completely restrained from comedy... and he does it perfectly.

As does Fulton MacKay.

Two men, both dying from cancer, sharing a hospital room. Two men from different backgrounds, who are like chalk and cheese.

Norman plays the terrified patient, who is unable to comprehend his situation and Fulton plays a sardonic Scot, who bitter outlook is ever present.

The interactions between the two is perfectly played.

The other player in this scenario is Judi Dench. She plays a nursing sister, who tends to these two men in their final days. She is perfect in this role.

It is not a pleasant story and there is no happy ending, but it is a scenario that would be played out in every hospital on a regular basis.

Well worth a look.

I have to admit, this story passed me by. Up until the release of this movie, I had no knowledge of the story. So, without the expectancy of an avid fan, I watched the movie. At first it made me uncomfortable. Here was a guy, crushed by drug abuse and already looking like a train wreck. His zombie like world was gray and foreboding. His future was bleak and his lifestyle was demeaning. Even though he had some support from his case management lady, James just saw his life as misery and the drugs helped mask it. The intervention of the cat, later named Bob, could have been a fleeting one, but the two bonded through a need for each other. In reality, two lost souls. Without spoiling the basis of the movie, it is, basically a journey back to normality, one step at a time. The scenes involving the cat are pure eye candy. This is no ordinary cat by any means. He has an almost zen nature about him. He became the bridge James needed, to be seen by the public as a human being, rather than some faceless busker living on the street. I would not recommend this as film for young children to see. Even though the drug scenes are brief, they are dark and harrowing at times. The acting is flawless and the cinematography is well done. The cat point of view snippets are a nice touch. A wonderful mix of dark and light moments in the telling of the story. It will make any one smile by the end of it. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. Everyone needs a friend like Bob at sometime in their lives.

It's always tricky to make a movie that might blindly be perceived as a black vs white melodrama when here it's not really the case. For me this movie is a simple told story of lost souls. Two young people, one in search of an almost fanciful re-connection with her wayward father and the other, desperate to see his mother before she dies. The two young lead actors do a fine job of portraying their characters. Although the dialogue is a bit twee at times, it still manages to get the message across to the viewer. The cinematography is great, utilizing the sometimes stark, but beautiful Western Plains district of New South Wales to full advantage. I did think that the scenes involving the pair's interactions with the police were, at times, a bit over the top. Other than that, this is a good movie.

It is sad to note, that Damian Pitt, who played Vaughn, was killed in a car accident near Grafton NSW in 2009