Beginners

I dug this film. It is quirky without being overbearing and is buoyed by solid performances.

Two intertwining stories  are told in this film. The first is of Oliver (Ewan McGregor) and his cancer stricken widowed father (Christpoher Plummer) who decides to step out of the closet at 75. The other story is of his relationship with Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterd’s). The two stories test Oliver greatly and they work because they deal with beginnings. (yeah yeah, that is the title).

Ewan and Melanie could have gone into cliché world of the pixie indie women and sullen/depressed man. H0wever, their escapades are things newly in love couples would explore. I’ve read complaints about their “meet cute.” I think that is how it would happen. These are two people who are used to meeting “cute” and they both let the relationships fall apart. it is their beginning when they decide to make it last. Between Like Crazy and this film there have been two solid romances this year. Romances where the people fall in love first then have to get to know each other. What they realize is that it is a lot tougher to keep it going.

Watch Beginners. Dig the relationship. Roll with the quirks.