Beginners: movie review
Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor square off as father and son in 'Beginners,' a quirky drama with poignant depth.
Christopher Plummer (l.) and Ewan McGregor are shown in a scene from 'Beginners.'
Focus Features/AP
Critics are supposed to criticize the movie before them and not the movie they wish they had seen instead. Easier said than done. Case in point: 鈥淏eginners,鈥� a film starring Christopher Plummer as Hal, a widower who, in his 70s, comes out to his startled son, Oliver (Ewan McGregor).
This is a fresh idea for a film, and apparently, according to the film鈥檚 writer-director Mike Mills, it鈥檚 also semi-autobiographical. With actors like Plummer and McGregor playing off each other, I was psyched for something good.
鈥�Beginners鈥� isn鈥檛 bad, exactly, but Mills focuses much less on the father-son stuff than on Oliver鈥檚 off-and-on liaison with a pretty French actress (M茅lanie Laurent, of 鈥�Inglourious Basterds鈥�). He juggles time frames, invoking Oliver鈥檚 memories of his mother. All of this has its value, but Plummer, in rollicking good form, without a shred of sentimentality, is primed for greatness, and Mills keeps cutting away from him just when things are getting interesting.
鈥淏eginners鈥� is a case study in missed opportunities. Grade: B- (Rated R for language and some sexual content.)