Beginners

Ewan McGregor, Mélanie Laurent, Christopher Plummer

Directed by Mike Mills

Rating: B-

Oliver Fields (McGregor) grew up with bad examples of what a happy marriage should look like. He tends to be the one to leave a relationship, even if it was not so bad. Then his mother dies and a few months later his father, Hal (Plummer), decides it's time to come out of the closet and experience a lifestyle he's suppressed for so long. Oliver soon loses his father to cancer and is battling his own sadness until he meets Anna (Laurent). She is an actress and leaves Los Angeles some short months in order to work. This is a relationship Oliver wants to work but will he decide to leave her too?

The reason why I wanted to watch Beginners is because I saw this huge movie poster at the movie theater and it looked kind of artsy. Plus it had Ewan McGregor in it, who in my opinion, is a great actor who knows how to not get type-casted into the same role. He has played the singing role (and has a remarkable voice in Moulin Rouge), the gay role (I Love You Phillip Morris), and even a jedi (Star Wars). This man has talent.

In all honesty Beginners is slow enough to put viewers to sleep and has, in the case of watching it with my parents. It's one of those movies viewers need to pummel through but it is worth it. I stuck with it to the end, paying attention, and it was good. The movie is visually appealing; by that I mean it's filmed like an artsy, indie-film. The chemistry between Oliver and Anna is not the typical romance we find in most movies. They are both sad but there is something there between them that makes it work. They make each other happy, though not typically "curing" each other of their sadness. There is still some ground that needs to be covered between the two.

While Beginners may not be the funnest movie to watch, Focus Features (which produced this film) has produced other great movies. When I find out a movie has been made by Focus Features, I get excited because I know that most of the time it will turn out to be a great movie. So if you have the patience to sit through a slow movie (and at least an hour and a half so not too long!), then I definitely recommend renting Beginners. I have a feeling that Beginners is going to be one of those movies you won't want to watch for another year but find yourself in the mood for it six months later.