Director Anand Tucker has moved quickly past the execrable Steve Martin vehicle Shopgirl with a solid, thoughtful, character-driven film.
When Did You Last See Your Father? (2008)
Tomatometer
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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?
Anand Tucker has no need of bells and whistles, instead letting Colin Firth, and especially Jim Broadbent, enthral us with wonderfully vivid performances.
It’s certainly a moving film, and many will find its close examination of a father-son relationship particularly cathartic and reflective.
Broadbent is marvellous as the emotional bulldozer while Firth beautifully conveys the concerns of a man terrified that he may be turning into the man he loathed as an adolescent.
Anand Tucker brings Blake Morrison’s autobiographical bestseller to the screen with sensitivity, humour and visual flair.
Manages -- in graceful and bleak ways, in unblinking yet sympathetic depictions of family life -- to take an all-too-familiar plot and still find something fresh in it through skillful and well-crafted execution.
Morrison's book is painfully honest and whilst the film is sensitively handled and impeccably crafted it is also curiously distant and unmoving.
While it's beautifully shot and acted, the film is also somewhat indulgent and meandering.
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. ![]()
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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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