Philomena

[caitlinmorton]

I really enjoyed this, though found that [spoiler]in the article I read, which I think is one of Martin's original ones, they went more into Anthony's depression, and how that in turn led to him developing AIDS, though had this been included the film would have been much darker.[/spoiler]

Thought it turned out very well.

[Beate]

Bloody annoyed at WIQ tonight. The ushers always pretend to know nothing and try to send us to wait in the bar which we duly ignore, but we were queuing up nicely and then people started wandering up to the screen that another usher had stupidly revelead to them, and our usher did NOTHING about it even though a few of us protested. So when he suddenly told us we could go in I basically FLEW across to screen 3 and managed to run in first, thrusting my printout into the other usher's hand. I had no qualms about doing that at all as OH and I had been the first one to queue up before everyone else muscled in. Managed to secure seats for PXC, tsoiboy and martadelas as well. Stuff the people trying to cut in!

I thought the film was really good and time flew. I did think though that Steve Coogan might get on my nerves and he didn't at all, whereas I was a tad irritated by Judi Dench and her fake Irish accent - and I never usually get annoyed by Judi Dench.

Still, deserves a 9/10 for a sensitively handled story that threw a few curveballs even I hadn't expected.

[D-Fens]

Disappointed by lack of analysis of social classes, wasn't the ultimate message that the underclass should be happy with their simple lives as access to the better things in life will only turn you in to a hateful person?

I didn't get that at all.

Class is definitely part of the movie, [spoiler]he's a fish out of water at her Harvester restaurant as she is at his hotel. He gets offered a job he views as beneath him while asking the staff at the party for a particular kind of wine. He's demoted to business class while journalists he once knew continue to travel in first. She has her romance novels and he eventually writes his Russian History[/spoiler]
So we can agree it's worth mentioning the word at least? As for the ending [spoiler]do we know why Philomena acted like she did and criticised Martin for how he was acting? I didn't see it as religion because they wronged her and she couldn't bring herself to confess in church. So I was asking the question whether she was actually rejecting his lifestyle, why was he a hateful person all of a sudden if not for the way he lived his life?[/spoiler]

[prettyxcool]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Very impressed with Steve Coogan - so unexpected! Judi Dench, marvellous! Such a fascinating story, well scripted and acted, so moving, heartbreaking, sharp and funny. 10/10

[caitlinmorton]

Disappointed by lack of analysis of social classes, wasn't the ultimate message that the underclass should be happy with their simple lives as access to the better things in life will only turn you in to a hateful person?

I didn't get that at all.

Class is definitely part of the movie, [spoiler]he's a fish out of water at her Harvester restaurant as she is at his hotel. He gets offered a job he views as beneath him while asking the staff at the party for a particular kind of wine. He's demoted to business class while journalists he once knew continue to travel in first. She has her romance novels and he eventually writes his Russian History[/spoiler]
So we can agree it's worth mentioning the word at least? As for the ending [spoiler]do we know why Philomena acted like she did and criticised Martin for how he was acting? I didn't see it as religion because they wronged her and she couldn't bring herself to confess in church. So I was asking the question whether she was actually rejecting his lifestyle, why was he a hateful person all of a sudden if not for the way he lived his life?[/spoiler]

I didn't say it wasn't, but I'm not sure it was showing the upper class as hateful people.

Especially given the fact that [spoiler]Anthony was upper class, and yes, he was very depressed in real life, but they didn't go much into that in the film (I only caught one veiled reference by Mary), so that's like nitpicking between fact and fiction[/spoiler]

[cliveas]

I don't think anyone would deny that it's a feature. The use of mismatched partners in a task is an often used device to add side humour to a story and is used very effectively in this film.

However there is a huge distance between that and suggesting that "the ultimate message" of the film is anything to do with that subject at all. Like caitlinmorton "I didn't get that at all." I'm not sure whether there was an intended message as such in the film, but I thought the main story was about other issues.

[D-Fens]

However there is a huge distance between that and suggesting that "the ultimate message" of the film is anything to do with that subject at all.

When I say ultimate I mean the last thing the movie says, rather than this is the only thing you should be taking from this movie. And the conclusion is open to interpretation?[spoiler]I assume we're supposed to be on Philomena's side, it seems strange that we spend so much of the movie with Martin helping her but at the end he's almost the bad guy as he is hateful but she can forgive. If she'd turned religion around somehow and used it to her means against the church I'd get it, but it does seem that the focus is more on Martin's attitude.[/spoiler]

so that's like nitpicking between fact and fiction

Your example just seems like further evidence
[spoiler]It was strange that Mary had a much simpler life than Anthony, maybe being a 'high flier' had detached him a little? And you could say the upper class started the whole issue by having the means to acquire children.[/spoiler]

[cliveas]

[spoiler]I hadn't taken it that there were sides to take between the two of them, but they had an interesting and entertaining relationship and perhaps learnt something from each other. I certainly didn't see Sixsmith as a bad guy; I would also identify with him far more than Philomena, so perhaps I am a bad guy? It is certainly true that those with simpler lifestyles and especially with a blind faith can often be happier in life, but whether that makes such things desirable is something not likely to be answered here or in a film. People are simply different, without necessarily being better or worse. Philomena was a great character, an entertaining one and certainly a very sympathetic one; but that doesn't mean that I would want to be her though. As far as I was concerned the 'bad guys' were the ones wearing the habits and the Irish authorities.[/spoiler]
Let's just agree that this was a good film and like some of the best ones open to interpretation.

[Beate]

I have to agree in that I absolutely do not understand Philomena's reaction at the end. It is not hateful to be against injustice. As cathartic as it might be for some people to just decide to forgive, you cannot let people get away with certain things as they will never change otherwise. I think it's good to get angry at this and try to get people to at least apologize instead of saying "You're a hateful person for doing so and I never want to be like that". That's even counter-productive methinks.
I was also a bit uneasy how they portrayed Philomena as this naïve, daft old lady who doesn't know the ways of the world, and playing it for laughs, but I guess they had to get the comedy somewhere, given the subject matter.

[jo_c78]

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this film.

It had me gripped from start to finish and I thought Judi Dench in particular was excellent. Some of the scenes were so moving and very emotional…..finely acted in my opinion.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this one to my friends.