A Very British Affair

And When Did You Last See Your Father - 3.5/5

As this film proves, nobody does repressed emotions and failure to communicate quite as well as the British. Based on Blake Morrison's autobiographical novel, the film follows Blake (Colin Firth) as he struggles to come to terms with his father's (Jim Broadbent) impending death and looks back over their difficult relationship.

It's all very well done and many bits, especially some of the childhood recollections, are surprisingly funny. The problem is it does leave you with a kind of seen it all before feeling. The themes (father-son relationships, coping with impending loss, grief, etc...) are fairly well travelled and whilst this is a creditable contribution it adds littlr new. (In fact, as a personal opinion, Darren Aronofsky's critically reviled The Fountain from earlier this year is a far more thought-provoking and moving portrayal of coping with impending loss). And we've all seen Colin Firth doing his moodily reticent stiff upper-lip thing, whilst Juliet Stevenson can do the long-suffering wife in her sleep.

And then there's Jim Broadbent, who gives an absolute gem of a performance that lifts the whole film above the ordinary. Seizing a role which allows him to combine both his comic and dramatic strengths, he is utterly compelling in what is undoubtedly his strongest turn since his oscar-winning role in Iris.

Worth watching for Broadbent alone, the rest is perfectly good if rather unspectacular fare.