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When Did You Last See Your Father? (2008)
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Reviews Counted:91
Fresh:66
Rotten:25
Average Rating:6.6/10
Consensus: Sensitive to a fault, Tucker's adaptation of the Morrison novel is nonetheless solidly scripted and well-acted; guard your heartstrings.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, thematic material and brief strong language.
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Jun 6, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $732,392
Synopsis: Celebrated English actors Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth team up for this moving drama about a father and son. Based on Blake Morrison's autobiographical novel, WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?... Celebrated English actors Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth team up for this moving drama about a father and son. Based on Blake Morrison's autobiographical novel, WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? bounces between the 1950s and the 1980s as Blake (Firth, BRIDGET JONES' DIARY) remembers all the good and the bad moments in his relationship with his dad as the man is dying of cancer. Oscar-winner Broadbent (IRIS) is Blake's father, Arthur, who seems to charm everyone but his son. He belittles and embarrasses the boy, and Blake's anger is understandable. But as Arthur begins to fade, an adult Blake struggles with his feelings for the man. With WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? director Anand Tucker continues his tradition of creating relationship-based dramas after HILARY AND JACKIE and SHOPGIRL. But while those two films centered on the relationship of sisters or romantic entanglements, this movie focuses on the heartbreaking dynamic between father and son. Broadbent's Arthur says some cringe-inducing things to his son, not the least of which is his frequent use of the name "fathead" in reference to Blake. Between Arthur's cruelty and the pain of watching him die, WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER? doesn't always make for easy watching. But Broadbent's talent makes Arthur an ultimately sympathetic character; he is a deeply flawed man who truly loves his son, though he is rarely sure of how to show that feeling. Fans of tearjerkers such as TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and BEACHES will certainly want to have a hankie nearby for this emotional film. [More]
Starring: Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson, Gina McKee
Starring: Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson, Gina McKee, Claire Skinner, Matthew Beard
Director: Anand Tucker
Director: Anand Tucker
Screenwriter: David Nicholls
Producer: Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley
Composer: Barrington Pheloung
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
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Release:
Nov 4, 2008
Reviews for When Did You Last See Your Father?
A keen and candid subjective scrutiny of parenting through the eyes of a damaged offspring, but a relentlessly grim, insular perspective that rarely ventures outside those long festering psychological wounds.
It's Broadbent's movie, and he really does go from one-foot-in-the-grave to youthful and crackling-with-charisma on a dime. It's not so much that he does it, but that it seems so effortless and non-ostentatious.
The performances are marvelous, and little moments ring all too true, making Tucker’s film rewarding if not illuminating.
The winning aspect of this adaptation of a best-selling autobiography is in the director's management of the points of view.
A small, intimate film with numerous flashbacks like this one is trickier than it looks, but ultimately it touches the heart and proves a worthwhile journey perfectly timed for Father’s Day.
"Father" handles things with grace, wit and a healthy dose of authenticity, staying true to author Blake Morrison's clear-eyed memoir of the same name.
Frustratingly stagnant at times but ultimately a moving story about a dying father and the son who must come to terms with him.
The film puts forth the idea that the best we ever get are reflections and fragmented images of others, as if we see things entirely through prisms or distorting glass.
Firth gives one of his most stitched-up performances as the adult Blake. Maybe he overdoes it but I don't think so. His aloofness, with its awkward hesitancies and ragged bursts of feeling, means that it's all the more moving when he finally lets go.
Grief is difficult to portray without being morbid, and despite valiant efforts to follow in the footsteps of Big Fish, which swept us away with uplifting reminiscences and amusing anecdotes, this drama struggles to find its equilibrium.
Blake Morrison's pain is invasive and all-embracing as recounted in his book and repeated in this adaptation, which is a wake and a weep for a father lost to male failures of communication.
When Firth and Broadbent share screen time, it's very watchable. Despite their proximity in real-life ages, they're convincing as son and father.
Everything in Water Lilies is more guarded, more complex and far more interesting than it seems.
In this delicate and understated portrait of selective reminiscence by Shopgirl director Anand Tucker, the now-grown son, played by Colin Firth, returns to the scene of the crime that was his childhood.
When Did You Last See Your Father? is based on a true story, but it still feels contrived.
Though ... well-acted by Firth, Broadbent and Juliet Stevenson, the slow pacing makes it feel as if everyone is walking through a waist-deep bog of emotional reserve.
Latest News for When Did You Last See Your Father?
November 01, 2008:
A keen and candid subjective scrutiny of parenting through the eyes of a damaged offspring, but a relentlessly grim, insular perspective that rarely ventures outside those long festering psychological wounds. ![]()
More...
December 14, 2007:
Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece. More...
September 09, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review. ![]()
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