Papadopoulos & Sons

I saw a preview during Dinard Festival. Didn't know the movie before entering the theater, and was here mostly for the after party. Well, the movie was - way - better than the cocktail.

It's a conventional movie about change of fortune, and joy in small things. With good writing, perfect acting from Stephen Dillane and the supporting cast (great George Corraface !) and good editing, it turns a well known theme into a great movie.

The script is well written, offering many scenes where Dillane and Corraface can express their talent. I thought about "We bought a Zoo" after watching "Papadopoulos&Sons". I might think Papadoulos was better.

Such a lovely unexpected delight. A film about love, family, money and getting perspective on life. Well worth a watch.

Set in and around suburban London, PAPADOPOULOS AND SONS focuses on the fortunes of Harry (Stephen Dillane) as he falls from being an award-winning self-made millionaire into a fish-and-chip-shop owner. Along the way he re-encounters brother Theo (Thomas Underhill) with whom he has not spoken for several years, and discovers that family loyalty and daily industry are more important ingredients for happiness rather than filthy lucre.

A familiar tale, no doubt; but one that is given particular poignancy by its background. The Papadopoulos family came to Britain in the wake of the Cyprus civil war in 1974; only two of the three brothers survived, and their childhood experiences still scar their adult lives. The fact that a Turkish Cypriot family, headed by Hasan (George Savvides) owns a kebab shop opposite the fish-and- chip-shop is something rather disturbing for the Papadopulos family, reminding them of past conflicts.

Yet director Marcus Markou seems uncertain as to whether he wants to explore the family's traumas in detail or to exploit the material for knockabout laughs. Harry's business associate Rob (Ed Stoppard) comes across as a figure of fun, so obsessed with money that he cannot appreciate any other values. In the end employee Sophie (Cosima Shaw) an American divorcée becomes so tired of Rob's posturing that she quits her job and opts for a life of drudgery in the chip shop.

In the end all turns out well, as the family, their friends and the Turkish Cypriots indulge in a Greek dance in the street outside the shop. But we cannot help but feel that Markou has shied away from exploring his material and his characters in greater depth so as to provide a happy ending.

Despite not being anywhere near the league of great film, still it is one of the better British films of recent times, in the sense that we get to escape from the council estates and the thugs they supposedly breed as well as the horrible language that makes one wanting to have a shower after a screening.

We follow the story of two brothers who migrated from Cyprus to England, one of whom became a millionaire and fully embraced the British ways whilst the other did not do so well and remained faithful to his routes and culture.

There is real warmth conveyed in this film and the importance of family is never underestimated, again a non-entry in many British films. In a short space of time we undergo a journey of emotions, hopes, aspirations and sadness that is a part in an immigrant's life.

A man goes from top to bottom and struggles to come to terms with the new reality of both the situation and the fact that he has to give up his ultra posh life and move to a lower middle class neighbourhood. Whilst we can rush to assume him as a snob, the truth is that he isn't; the issue he has is not so much encountering his brother and the old life, but the fact that as far as he was concerned all this was left behind him and simply moved on to a different place.

Despite the presence of elements that could potentially have made this a gem of a film, somehow it is rather corny (or simply not aimed high enough) and that reduces it to a warming, charming family comedy.

Greetings again from the darkness. There is always a risk in stamping a movie with a particular label ... "Greek" in this case. It can limit the audience to which it appeals, if there are too many in-jokes or cultural references. Writer/director Marcus Markou offers up a terrific little story that most can enjoy. It's certainly not at the level of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", but it's charming and entertaining enough.

Stephen Dillane stars as Harry, a self-made millionaire who loses everything during a financial market collapse. You will recognize Mr. Dillane as Thomas Jefferson from the HBO mini-series "John Adams". Here he plays a single dad to 3 kids: a stuttering plant loving son, a pop star-wannabe teenager daughter, and nerdy young son with a penchant for picking stock trends. Joining them is screen veteran Selina Cadell as the housekeeper/nanny. The crisis sends the family back into the life of Harry's brother Spiros, and they proceed to re-build the old family business ... Three Brother Fish & Chips.

Sure, it's a formulaic story, but the characters are interesting enough and Uncle Spiros is so full of life and spirit that he can't help but get you excited for this second chance. Watching the family re-connect with each other and their past is not just pleasant, but also well presented. Mr. Dillane is wonderful as the uppity millionaire type, however, when he gives his hospital soliloquy regarding never feeling "so alive", I do wish we had actually seen more proof of that.

While I most enjoyed the interactions between Harry and Spiros, the two musical/photo medleys seemed to interfere with the flow ... rather than shortcuts, they proved a bit annoying. However, it's always refreshing to see a movie where a family bonds together, and puts the past where it belongs.