Director: Richard Loncraine
Writer: Meg Leonard, Nick Moorcroft (Screenplay)
Starring: Imelda Staunton, Celia Imrie, Timothy Spall, Joanna Lumley, David Hayman, John Sessions
Plot: On the eve of retirement a middle class, judgmental snob discovers her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is forced into exile with her bohemian sister who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate.
Tagline – Everyone Deserves a Second Dance
Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Delightful
Story: Finding Your Feet starts when Sandra (Staunton) all ready to live a retirement life with her husband Mike (Sessions) she learns that Mike has been having an affair and she is left needing to turn to her sister Bif (Imrie) who has been living in a council estate for her life, where she has friends around the community including handy man Charlie (Spall) and widower Ted (Hayman).
As the four spend more time together Sandra learns she needs to be more open to people in life, treat people with more respect, learning about problems other people will be going through and start to have fun in her life for the first time in years.
Thoughts on Finding Your Feet
Characters – Sandra has spent her life planning for her golden years of retirement with her husband, only to have this shattered when she learns about her husband’s affair. She goes from a luxury home to needing to move in with her sister in a council estate, here she does look down on people, which she needs to learn to shake if she is to be accepted, she learns that there is more to life than plans, taking each day at a time can open up more doors. Bif is the sister of Sandra’s who has always been more laidback in life, never taking too much seriously, but remained friendly with people, knowing friendship has more value in life. Charlie is a handy man and friend that is always around for Bif, he has given up the last few years of his life, while his wife suffered in a nursing home, who doesn’t remembering him, this causing him immense amount of pain in his life, where the friendship is most important. Ted is a widower that despite trying to become stronger will have the moments which will show the pain he has been through.
Performances – Imelda Staunton is fantastic in the leading role of this film, she brings to life the stuck up side of the character along with the vulnerable side of her. Celia Imrie is the ray of sunshine in the film showing all the positive required in the film, with Timothy Spall being a joy to watch as the man who has already given up everything in his life.
Story – The story here follows a woman who is about to retire with her husband only to learn that he has been cheating on her for years and needs to rediscover her life before it is too late, through her sister that has always lived a freestyle way of life. This is a story to show us that we are never too old to start enjoying our lives, no matter how much that has gone wrong, it is about treating people with respect, staying in contact with family and friends and enjoying your life to the best. We have well developed characters that are here to support each other, having their own problems and pain in life.
Comedy/Romance – The comedy in the film comes from how Bif sees the world, pushes her sister and the friendship she has in life, with the romance showing us just how you could find love in any stage of your life.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show us the different locations that Sandra lives, showing her well off upper class retirement home to the council estate where she must learn to live with.
Scene of the Movie – Rome performance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – When does it ever snow in London at Christmas.
Final Thoughts – This is a charming enjoyable comedy that shows that you are never too old to start living the best most enjoyable life you can.
Overall: Charming.
