There's no shortage of British comedies featuring all of our Dames finding romance with some twee comedy thrown in for good measure. The Best Exotic Marigold hotel had the grannies queueing out of the cinema doors to catch a glimpse of Dame Maggie Smith blasting out Dowager-esque zingers on a holiday to India. It brings new meaning to the term 'silver screen' when everyone in the audience is way past sixty, but it's a very profitable market for cinema chains. Many of these films provide a few laughs but are rather forgettable, fortunately Finding Your Feet isn't just one of the best examples of twilight comedy, it's one of the best examples of British comedy full stop.
The film slithered out to a limited audience in 2017 failing to garner the attention of the likes of Calendar Girls and Best Exotic Marigold, however it pretty much blows every comedy of that ilk out of the water. Why it hasn't received the praise it deserves is beyond me. Everyone I've sat down to watch this with has sang its praises, even a grumbling millennial who instantly dismissed it because they didn't want to watch a film about 'old people falling in love' admitted that it was in fact, 'very good.'
It follows Imelda Staunton, a stiff snob who relishes her new title of 'Lady Sandra Abbott' who finds herself in crisis after discovering that her husband has been having a Doctor Foster style affair with a lady not much younger than herself. Rightfully so, she storms out of that life and decides to rekindle with her estranged sister, Celia Imrie who couldn't be more opposite in character. What follows is a genuinely heart-warming tale that will have you grinning from ear to ear one minute and gushing with tears the next.
What makes Finding Your Feet so involving is the beautifully fleshed-out characters. Lady Sandra Abbott may come across as unlikable and toffee-nosed initially, but the film takes time to peel back the layers so that your sympathies fully lie with her by the end of it. She's also brilliantly played by Imelda Staunton who never really disappoints in any role. In fact, the talent on display here is really top drawer stuff. Timothy Spall particularly impresses with his moving performance as does the always reliable Celia. It's also always a joy to see Joanna Lumley in a role, even if her screen time is limited.
Anyone expecting to find a forgettable comedy about oldies learning to dance are in for a massive surprise as there's so much more to Finding Your Feet than this. I wasn't prepared for how emotionally devastating some of it was going to be. I very rarely feel my tear ducts wobbling in a film, but there were several moments in this where I thought I was going to blub, but perhaps I'm getting more emotional in my old age and can relate to the characters a bit more!
Naysayers have slammed the film for being 'predictable' but I'd disagree. The narrative seems to unfold with the characters, making everything far more involving than your average romcom. There's an equal amount of comedy and tragedy to stop it from being overly sentimental and it ends on such a heart-warming note that you'd have to be made out of marble to not feel your cockles getting warm. This is a truly special little film which deserves to be watched time and time again in the calibre of other British comedies such as Bridget Jones and Love Actually.
The film slithered out to a limited audience in 2017 failing to garner the attention of the likes of Calendar Girls and Best Exotic Marigold, however it pretty much blows every comedy of that ilk out of the water. Why it hasn't received the praise it deserves is beyond me. Everyone I've sat down to watch this with has sang its praises, even a grumbling millennial who instantly dismissed it because they didn't want to watch a film about 'old people falling in love' admitted that it was in fact, 'very good.'
It follows Imelda Staunton, a stiff snob who relishes her new title of 'Lady Sandra Abbott' who finds herself in crisis after discovering that her husband has been having a Doctor Foster style affair with a lady not much younger than herself. Rightfully so, she storms out of that life and decides to rekindle with her estranged sister, Celia Imrie who couldn't be more opposite in character. What follows is a genuinely heart-warming tale that will have you grinning from ear to ear one minute and gushing with tears the next.
What makes Finding Your Feet so involving is the beautifully fleshed-out characters. Lady Sandra Abbott may come across as unlikable and toffee-nosed initially, but the film takes time to peel back the layers so that your sympathies fully lie with her by the end of it. She's also brilliantly played by Imelda Staunton who never really disappoints in any role. In fact, the talent on display here is really top drawer stuff. Timothy Spall particularly impresses with his moving performance as does the always reliable Celia. It's also always a joy to see Joanna Lumley in a role, even if her screen time is limited.
Anyone expecting to find a forgettable comedy about oldies learning to dance are in for a massive surprise as there's so much more to Finding Your Feet than this. I wasn't prepared for how emotionally devastating some of it was going to be. I very rarely feel my tear ducts wobbling in a film, but there were several moments in this where I thought I was going to blub, but perhaps I'm getting more emotional in my old age and can relate to the characters a bit more!
Naysayers have slammed the film for being 'predictable' but I'd disagree. The narrative seems to unfold with the characters, making everything far more involving than your average romcom. There's an equal amount of comedy and tragedy to stop it from being overly sentimental and it ends on such a heart-warming note that you'd have to be made out of marble to not feel your cockles getting warm. This is a truly special little film which deserves to be watched time and time again in the calibre of other British comedies such as Bridget Jones and Love Actually.