''Beginners'' is a 2010 American
romantic comedy-drama
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
film written and directed by
Mike Mills
Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...
. It tells the story of a man reflecting on the life and death of his father, while trying to forge a new romantic relationship with a woman dealing with father-issues of her own. The film is based on the
coming out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
of Mills' own father at the age of 75, five years before his death.
After its
premiere
A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition.
A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
at the
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented '' Score: A Hockey Musical'', a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. '' La ...
, the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' heralded ''Beginners'' as a "heady, heartfelt film" with a cast who have "a strong sense of responsibility to their real-world counterparts".
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
received numerous accolades for his performance in the film, including the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for
Best Supporting Actor.
Plot
(Throughout the film, scenes of Oliver Fields' memories of his deceased parents are intercut, as
flashbacks, into the narrative of his developing relationship with Anna Wallace.)
In Los Angeles in 2003, a few months after the death of his father, Hal, from
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
, 38-year-old
graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...
Oliver often thinks about his relationship with Hal near the end of his life. Hal had
come out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
to Oliver six months after Georgia, Hal's wife of 44 years and Oliver's mother, died of cancer, and explored life as an openly
gay
''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'.
While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
man from the age of 75 until he died four years later. He got active in the local gay community, found love with a much-younger man named Andy, and became closer to Oliver than he had been previously. Oliver helped Hal during his cancer treatments, and he noted the grace, good humor, and, sometimes, seeming-denial with which Hal faced his fate.
Hal and Georgia had known each other since high school, and eventually she asked him to marry her, saying she could "fix" his homosexuality. He saw a psychiatrist for a time and they were married until her death, but they always had a fairly cool relationship, and Oliver recalls his childhood with an unfulfilled, but loving, Georgia, while Hal, a museum director, was often absent, both physically and emotionally. Not wanting to end up like his parents, Oliver never settled for a passionless relationship, which has left him with only Hal's
Jack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell Terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting in England. It is principally white-bodied and smooth, rough or broken-coated and can be any colour.
Small tan and white terriers that technically belong to oth ...
, Arthur, who does not like to be left alone, for company.
Oliver's work friends get him to go to a costume party, where he meets Anna, a French actress. Although she communicates by writing messages because she has
laryngitis
Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks.
Laryngitis is categorised ...
and temporarily cannot speak, they instantly connect. They go back to Anna's hotel room, where Oliver tells her about his parents, and they kiss, but then Anna asks if they can just go to sleep, and Oliver agrees. The next day, Anna has to go to New York for an audition, but she says she wants to see Oliver when she gets back. Inspired by his father's attitude towards the end of his life, Oliver decides to pursue a romance with Anna.
When Anna returns, she and Oliver see a lot of each other and fall in love. Eventually, he asks her to move in with him, and she does, but Anna, who left home when she was 16 and has a strained relationship with her depressive father and, like Oliver, is the one who has ended all of her serious romantic relationships, never unpacks her suitcase, which bothers Oliver. Things become awkward between them, as neither knows how to build a life with someone else, and, after a short time, Oliver says living together does not feel right, and Anna decides to move back to New York City.
Before long, Oliver misses Anna, but she does not answer his calls, so he drops Arthur off with Andy and flies to New York to talk to her. He calls her again from outside her apartment and she answers, and it turns out she never left Los Angeles. When Oliver gets home, Anna comes over, and, though they do not know what will happen next, they both seem optimistic about their future together.
Cast
*
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...
as Oliver Fields
** Keegan Boos as Young Oliver
*
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
as Hal Fields, Oliver's father
*
Mélanie Laurent
Mélanie Laurent (; born 21 February 1983) is a French actress, filmmaker, and singer. The recipient of two César Awards and a Lumières Award, she is an accomplished actress in the French film industry. Globally, she is best known for her role ...
as Anna Wallace, a French actress with whom Oliver begins a relationship
*
Goran Višnjić
Goran Višnjić (; born 9 September 1972) is a Croatian actor who has appeared in American and British films and television productions. He is best known in the United States for his roles as Dr. Luka Kovač in '' ER'' and Garcia Flynn in '' Tim ...
as Andy, Hal's much-younger lover
* Kai Lennox as Elliot, Oliver's friend and co-worker
*
Mary Page Keller
Mary Page Keller (born March 3, 1961) is an American actress known for roles on television. Keller began her career on the daytime soap operas ''Ryan's Hope'' (1982–1983) and '' Another World'' (1983–1985) and later starred in a number of tel ...
as Georgia Fields, Oliver's mother
*
China Shavers
China Shavers (born June 16, 1977) is an American actress best known for her supporting roles as Brooke Harper on the high school drama ''Boston Public'' and as Dreama on the supernatural sitcom ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch''.
Career
Shavers ...
as Shauna, Oliver's friend and co-worker
* Reynaldo Pacheco as Juan, Hal's
hospice
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...
nurse
* Jennifer Hasty as Hal's Secretary
*
Cosmo
Cosmo may refer to:
Business and media
* Cosmopolitan (magazine), ''Cosmopolitan'' (magazine), a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as "Cosmo"
* ''Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure'', a 1992 video game
* Cosmo On-Line, a Brazilian generic Intern ...
as Arthur, Hal's (and later Oliver's) dog
Lou Taylor Pucci
Lou Taylor Pucci (born July 27, 1985) is an American actor who first appeared on film in Rebecca Miller's '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'' in 2002. Pucci had his breakthrough leading role in '' Thumbsucker'' (2005), for which he won a Speci ...
, the star of Mike Mills' previous film ''
Thumbsucker'' (2005), has a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
in the film as the man dressed as a magician at the costume party.
Production
Much of the film is based on director
Mike Mills
Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., hi ...
' experiences after his own father came out of the closet following his mother's death.
It was shot using the
Red One digital camera. In Oliver's dining room, there is a poster for ''Siedem Razy Kobieta'', the Polish name of the 1967
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...
film ''
Woman Times Seven
''Woman Times Seven'' ( it, Sette volte donna) is a 1967 sex comedy anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It consists of seven segments, all starring Shirley MacLaine, most of which deal with aspects of adultery.
Plot
''Paulette/Funeral ...
''.
Reception
On
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 161 reviews, with an average score of 7.5/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Wearing its twee heart on its sleeve, ''Beginners'' explores the depths of modern, multi-generational romance with wit and depth." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating to reviews, the film has an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, writing: "It's a hopeful fable with deep optimism and a cheerful style that kids itself." Peter Debruge of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called it "deeply poignant and disarmingly personal". Lisa Schwarzbaum of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' wrote: "The movie darts, dreams, and sometimes seems to dance. The great Plummer, meanwhile, creates an inspiring, fully rounded man in late bloom, and McGregor responds with a performance to match."
Diego Costa of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' said: "One of the most distinct pleasures of ''Beginners'' is the way it puts together fragments of someone's life — presumably the filmmaker's, although little does it matter — with humility, and without vying for some complete whole."
Calvin Wilson of the ''
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...
'' called the film "A lovably quirky comedy drama with a rhythm all its own."
Accolades
In 2011, ''Beginners'' won the
Gotham Award
The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published on ...
for
Best Feature, which it shared with ''
The Tree of Life
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. For his performance,
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...
won numerous "supporting actor" awards, including at the
National Board of Review Awards
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
,
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975.
Background
Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles-based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organiza ...
,
Online Film Critics Society Awards
The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) is an international professional association of online film journalists, historians and scholars who publish their work on the World Wide Web. The organization was founded in January 1997 by Harvey S. Karten ...
, Denver Film Critics Society Awards,
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
,
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
,
British Academy Film Awards
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
, and
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
Plummer also won
Best Supporting Male at the
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
, and the film was nominated for
Best Feature,
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
, and
Best Screenplay at that event. In addition, Plummer was nominated for the
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beginners
2010 romantic comedy-drama films
2010 independent films
2010 LGBT-related films
2010 films
2010s English-language films
Alliance Films films
American romantic comedy-drama films
American independent films
American LGBT-related films
Films about cancer
Films about death
Films about dysfunctional families
Films about old age
Films about widowhood in the United States
Films directed by Mike Mills
Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award-winning performance
Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance
Films set in Los Angeles
Films set in 2003
Films shot in Los Angeles
Focus Features films
Gay-related films
LGBT-related films based on actual events
LGBT-related romantic comedy-drama films
American nonlinear narrative films
BAFTA winners (films)
Films scored by Roger Neill
Films about father–son relationships
2010s American films