Highlighting the plight of the thousands of Irish women who had their children snatched away from them by the nuns of the Magdelene Convents, Philomena tells the story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) who breaks her fifty years silence to talk about her time in the convent and reveals she had a son, born out of wedlock, who was taken and given up for adoption. Hearing her story, disgraced journalist and former government advisor Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) decides to write a human interest story on her, something he loathes but has to do because he needs the work. Together, the pair set out to find Philomena's son.
Directed by The Queen's Stephen Frears, and adapted by Coogan and Jeff Pope from Sixsmith's own book on the matter, Philomena is deeply charming, and sometimes heart breaking, but never resorts to the usual tearjerker tricks of wringing an emotional response from you. It could have easily been very patronising, but Frears steers clear of that, injecting a lot of dry English wit into proceedings, while not afraid to tackle the difficult subject of the Magdelene Laundries. These scenes of Philomena's time there are the movie at it's most powerful, shot through with grainy film stock to evoke the time period. The story does deliver several emotional kicks in the pants as it moves along, and the payoff is deeply satisfying and in keeping with what came before. The central pairing show great chemistry together, and much of the movies gentle humour comes from this odd couple pairing, Philomena a strong willed, old school Irish woman (a lot of people will see something familiar in her Irish mammy act) who possesses the kindness and common sense that Sixsmith's well read cynic lacks. The movie is as much about Sixsmith finding his way after publicly losing his job as it is about Philomena finding her son, and both redemptive arcs sit side by side perfectly.
Dench is fantastic in the title role, a stew of emotions kept in check underneath a strong facade that you know will crumble under the right circumstances. She brings much of the humour in the matter of factness approach to the world, whether commenting on the fact that she never saw any Mexicans in Ireland, or her views on "gay homosexuals". But she isn't afraid to get serious when the time calls for it, and Dench brings this wonderfully written character to life perfectly, delivering one of the better performances of her career. Coogan also puts in a great performance, a million miles away from his most famous creation, Alan Partridge. Sixsmith is the perfect foil to Philomena, often times melting into a exasperated shell when confronted by her stubbornness and eccentricity (the look on his face as she regales to him the plot of a trashy romantic novel she just read is absolutely priceless).
A great central pairing, helped immensely by a expertly written and witty script, elevates Philomena from the usual tearjerkers, and delivers an honest and charming portrayal of a real life tragedy. Highly recommended!
Directed by The Queen's Stephen Frears, and adapted by Coogan and Jeff Pope from Sixsmith's own book on the matter, Philomena is deeply charming, and sometimes heart breaking, but never resorts to the usual tearjerker tricks of wringing an emotional response from you. It could have easily been very patronising, but Frears steers clear of that, injecting a lot of dry English wit into proceedings, while not afraid to tackle the difficult subject of the Magdelene Laundries. These scenes of Philomena's time there are the movie at it's most powerful, shot through with grainy film stock to evoke the time period. The story does deliver several emotional kicks in the pants as it moves along, and the payoff is deeply satisfying and in keeping with what came before. The central pairing show great chemistry together, and much of the movies gentle humour comes from this odd couple pairing, Philomena a strong willed, old school Irish woman (a lot of people will see something familiar in her Irish mammy act) who possesses the kindness and common sense that Sixsmith's well read cynic lacks. The movie is as much about Sixsmith finding his way after publicly losing his job as it is about Philomena finding her son, and both redemptive arcs sit side by side perfectly.
Dench is fantastic in the title role, a stew of emotions kept in check underneath a strong facade that you know will crumble under the right circumstances. She brings much of the humour in the matter of factness approach to the world, whether commenting on the fact that she never saw any Mexicans in Ireland, or her views on "gay homosexuals". But she isn't afraid to get serious when the time calls for it, and Dench brings this wonderfully written character to life perfectly, delivering one of the better performances of her career. Coogan also puts in a great performance, a million miles away from his most famous creation, Alan Partridge. Sixsmith is the perfect foil to Philomena, often times melting into a exasperated shell when confronted by her stubbornness and eccentricity (the look on his face as she regales to him the plot of a trashy romantic novel she just read is absolutely priceless).
A great central pairing, helped immensely by a expertly written and witty script, elevates Philomena from the usual tearjerkers, and delivers an honest and charming portrayal of a real life tragedy. Highly recommended!
