Truly Dreadful Film

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

One of the better movies of the last couple years, "When Did you Last See Your Father" is an engrossing look at a Father/Son relationship with superb narration from Colin Firth who also stars in the movie. At times the pacing slows, but the filmmakers more than make up for it with a grand-slam ending 10-12 min or so, (spoiler) where we the audience can feel the protagonists confusion melt away into clarity of bereavement and grieving. For me, some decent movies out there like this one get lifted up by truly great or cathartic scenes. Ones which open a flood-gate of empathy. Mathew Beard and Jim Broadbent also are quite good. Recommended Drama.

The writer Blake Morrison (Colin Firth) has a non-resolved relationship with his bragger and wolf father Arthur Morrison (Jim Broadbent). However, when he is diagnosed with a terminal intestine cancer, Blake leaves his wife and children and travel to the village where he spent his childhood and adolescence to help his mother and his sister to take care of Arthur along his last days. The location brings recollections of his problematic relationship with his father."And When Did You Last See Your Father?" is a sensitive movie about father and son problematic relationship. Through the recollections of Blake, the viewer understand the many unresolved situations that made him indifferent (or even hating) his flawed father that loved him indeed. In the end, it dawns on him that his father is gone and he will never see him again; and he grieves and regrets the lost moments he had along his life to stay with him. And you, when did you last see your father? My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Quando Você Viu Seu Pai Pela Última Vez?" ("When Did You Last See Your Father?")

It's the English countryside and a young boy coming of age, it's a middle aged man coming back to see his father on his deathbed to confront his personal demons surrounding his childhood and the shortcomings of a man who was quick with a joke but a bit slow with integrity. This is a good tear jerker that hits all the right notes and is well acted to boot. It's dreamy, and bittersweet, not a lot of action but a ton of character development and overall a fine movie. I could have gone for a lot more skin with sex scenes to spice things up a bit but then all the blue haired grannies might choke on their biscuits and tea while watching it. This is a solid drama/coming of age/remembering your dad kind of affair.

WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? (2008) ***1/2 Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth, Juliet Stevenson, Gina McKee, Sarah Lancashire, Elaine Cassidy, Claire Skinner, Matthew Beard, Bradley Johnson. Wonderful father/son drama based on the novel by Blake Morrison (adapted smartly by David Nicholls) about his troubled relationship with his boisterous, yet loving father (Broadbent in one of his best performances to date) that only gets further complicated when his dad is dying and Blake (Firth also equally excellent) trying to come to grips with his conflicted feelings of his youth and present state of mind. Filmmaker Anand Tucker gently yet effectively delivers a humanely decent depiction of the push/pull dynamic of the parent/child bond with truly winning performances by his two stars.