'Another Year'

'Another Year' (PG-13) (3 1/2 stars)

Written and Directed by Mike Leigh
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wight, Oliver Maltman,
David Bradley, Imelda Staunton, Karina Fernandez

I love Mike Leigh films for they are about real people, are honest and he takes his time letting the characters grow on us. He always rehearses with his actors ahead of time and encourages improvisation. That is why his movies are so effective because the characters all come together and respond to each other so fluidly. He is like England's answer to Woody Allen but to me in the last two decades he does a better job at what Woody used to do. I love Allen's British thrillers and dramas lately but the relationship drama now belongs to Leigh. "Another Year" is another Leigh drama that at first seems normal and gives us a story of every day people living life. Then at the end we are blind sided by how deep and powerful the movie has become. The character development and acting is outstanding at first and that makes what comes at the end so hard hitting.

"Another Year" starts with a middle age couple starting their senior years. They are Tom and Geri and they are extremely well played by Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen. They have a son that visits them and we see them tending to their garden. They seem comfortable together and are still in love. They have a friend who visits for dinner from time to time and her name is Mary. Mary is played by Lesley Manville and Manville here is brilliant. Mary likes to drink a lot of wine and we can see she is somewhat of an alcoholic. Tom and Geri show concern but Mary is a good friend and they don't come down on her for her drinking. I identified with Mary a lot and she is one of those people who are energetic and happy one moment and then become depressed in an instant. She is single and she desperately wants to find someone to love and she even pins false hope on a flirtation with Tom and Geri's son Joe. There is also Tom's best friend Ken who comes over for dinner when Mary is there. He is a heavy drinker, smoker, overweight slob but maybe he can pair up with Mary but she doesn't know what she wants and pushes him away. As Leigh introduces his characters I was enthralled by the acting and how real this every day story unfolded. Leigh has this magic touch where you know not much is happening but in the end you have experienced something so touching and powerful.

This movie reminded me of another movie about growing old and that is the 1981 Alan Alda movie "The Four Seasons". Like that 80's classic "Another Year" splits into four seasons and each season is like a chapter in this story. There is a powerful Winter segment that ends the movie as all characters come together because of the funeral of Tom's sister-in-law. We meet Tom's brother and his black sheep son and before we know it one of these new characters will make a huge impact on this story. The end of this movie is devastating and Manville's performance comes to a powerful climax and should get her an Oscar nomination. This movie has a lot of humor and charm but it also can be bleak and somber and that is why I loved it. If the movie just continued on it's leisurely beginning I would have grown tired of it. It would not have had that effect of being like real life. This movie has so many layers and emotions and I grew to love all the characters. Not only is Manville great but all the acting is superb from Ruth Sheen, the always great Jim Broadbent to smaller roles played by all other cast members. This is a movie that sneaks up on you and I think Leigh fans will like this more than his last movie "Happy-Go Lucky" because I think this is one of his best movies. It really got to me emotionally and I loved every minute of one of the best movies of 2010.