Steel Mill Pictures, Coolmore Productions, Egoli Tossell Film,
Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston, Vanessa Redgrave, Anne Reid, Ram John Holder, Bill Thomas, Orla Hill
Arthur (Terence Stamp) is a grumpy old guy taking care of his wife who is very ill. His wife, Marion (Vanessa Regrave) is ill, but very determined to enjoy what’s left of her life. She loves to sing, and is a member of the choir at her church. She wants to sing her solo and insists on going out to practice despite her husbands disdain for the choir and her risking herself. Arthur hides outside and listens to the choir and later begins to mend the relationship with his estranged son and to find some joy in his life once again through music.
This is a touching story, but lacking in the charm of other films. Dolly Parton did it much better in Joyful Noise. This story is a lot like On Golden Pond but without the great acting and without the charming story. Terence’s Arthur is a miserable old cuss, but he’s not funny, and when he has his epiphany and Scrooge-like redemption, is still not likeable at all. Vanessa Redgrave is a great actress, but has nothing to work with here, as the script is very dry. The son is so dreadful, I didn’t even look up to see who he is. All in all, the film was pretty dull, and not really worth the time watching it. I can’t really recommend this one.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
