What’s worse news for a son? That your father(Christopher Plummer) is dying of cancer, or that after forty-seven years of marriage to your mother (Mary Paige Keiller) it turns out he’s gay? These are the questions that Oliver (Ewan McGregor) must ponder as he packs up his deceased father’s clothes, empties his pill bottles, claims his mutt “Arthur,” and reads his father’s want ads “searching for love.” The movie reflects our own parental issues and how at any point in life everything is different and nothing stays the same. Whether 1950 to 2010, it’s how we handle it, how we’ve evolved, or haven’t. The story is told in flashback sequence with a stronger hold on the father-son scenes then the present day love scenes where Oliver finds romance with odd-ball character Anna (Melanie Laurent.) You’ll recognize her as the victimized girl in last year’s Inglorious Basterds. Here she’s victimized again but in a new way, because as our parents grown old and we grow up, we analyze our lives thru their lives, their pasts and their mistakes. And one thing is certain….we never want to become them. McGregor is one of those rare actors… sexy, explosive, somewhat meek, always deep, but never came to A-list fame. Plummer’s performance is that of great actor who can still command the screen and step comfortably into his final years. An excellent script, funny and endearing… life becomes how we perceive it all as we discover who our parents really are, or really were. Just be sure you make that discovery BEFORE their gone. The one thing we’re all sure of is that Beginners sets the tone for all types of newbies. Whether gay or fearful of being straight, we only want simple and happy when it comes to any type of love. Three and a half tiaras
