Beginners (2011)

June 3, 2011 (US) • Drama, Romance, Comedy • 105m

Overview

Oliver meets the irreverent and unpredictable Anna only months after his father Hal Fields has passed away. This new love floods Oliver with memories of his father, who, following the death of his wife of 44 years, came out of the closet at age 75 to live a full, energized, and wonderfully tumultuous gay life – which included a younger boyfriend.

Director

Mike Mills

Writer

Mike Mills

Top Billed

Ewan McGregor

Keywords

coming out cancer relationship gay parent lgbt older man younger man relationship father son relationship

Where to watch

Free / Included

Netflix

Netflix Standard with Ads

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Ewan McGregor

Oliver Fields

Christopher Plummer

Hal Fields

Mélanie Laurent

Anna Wallace

Goran Višnjić

Andy

Kai Lennox

Elliot

Mary Page Keller

Georgia Fields

Keegan Boos

Young Oliver

China Shavers

Shauna

Melissa Tang

Liz

Amanda Payton

Party Person

Luke Diliberto

Green Witch

Lou Taylor Pucci

Magician

Jennifer Lauren Grant

Record Company Rep

Reynaldo Pacheco

Julio

Jodi Long

Dr. Long

Bruce French

Dr. Wright

Leslie Shea

ICU Nurse #1

Michael Chieffo

Hal's Priest

Jennifer Hasty

Secretary

June Saunders

1978 Fancy Woman

Catherine McGoohan

1978 Older Woman

Terry Walters

Terse Nurse

Lana Young

ICU Nurse #2

AlgeRita Wynn

Nice Nurse

Regine Redwing

Strict Nurse

Sunday Burke

Home Nurse #1

Patrick Birkett

Hal Look-Alike

Sabera Wise

Skating Rink Manager

Rafael J. Noble

Brian

Jose Yenque

Robert

Rodney Saulsberry

1978 Museum Staff

Bambadjan Bamba

The Sads

Hana Hwang

The Sads

Crew

Olivier Bugge Coutté

Editor

Miranda de Pencier

Producer

Carrie A. Tyson

Production Supervisor

Nicole Daniels

Casting

Dave Chambers

Steadicam Operator

Dean Vanech

Producer

Mike Mills

Director

Leslie Urdang

Producer

Lars Knudsen

Producer

Kasper Tuxen

Director of Photography

Fran Giblin

Unit Production Manager

Joan Scheckel

Executive Producer

Jay Van Hoy

Producer

Shane Valentino

Production Design

Jennifer Johnson

Costume Design

Miranda July

Thanks

Roger Neill

Original Music Composer

Dave Palmer

Original Music Composer

Robin Urdang

Music Supervisor

Brian Reitzell

Original Music Composer

Wes Ball

Visual Effects

Mark Levinson

Producer

Courtney Bright

Casting

Christopher Blauvelt

Additional Photography

Rod Smith

First Assistant Director

Christine Huynh

Sound

Bradley Hawkins

Visual Effects

Ryland Jones

Visual Effects

Leslie Shatz

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Nancy MacLeod

Sound Effects Editor

Justin Barber

Visual Effects

Kameron Lennox

Costume Supervisor

Sandra Poland

Set Costumer

Tina Roesler Kerwin

Makeup Department Head

Coryander Friend

Set Decoration

Susumu Tokunow

Sound Mixer

Leslie Shatz

Sound Designer

Robert Alonzo

Utility Stunts

Mike Mills

Writer

Reviews

Andres Gomez

⭐ 8/10

September 3, 2013

A really delightful drama with superb performances and a great editing.

Filipe Manuel Neto

⭐ 4/10

September 6, 2022

**The movie works well, but there are some details in the story told that, to me, make little sense. Am sorry.**

Generally, I don't really like films that are too apologetic, that is, films that use cinema to advocate and defend causes, political ideas, social movements. It's OK to be part of the plot of a movie, but to make a movie for defense/publicity of these ideas is another very different thing. When I started to see this movie, I was scared to find just another movie defending the gay lobby, and its social and political flags.

Well, now that I'm done, I'm relieved that my fears didn't go beyond that. The film has a fairly regular script, which seeks to tell an interesting story, focused on how a man begins a very passionate relationship with a charming Frenchwoman he has just met. He was very depressed because of the recent death of his father, and while the film tells us how the couple evolves in their new relationship, it also tells us how was, lately, the relationship between him and his father who, shortly after widowing, decides to tell his son that he is sick and is going to die of cancer and, moreover, that despite having been married, he has been a homosexual all his life, suffering at the cost of that secret and having a secret boyfriend.

The strong point of the film is not only the dramatic story told (I never felt it was a comedy, as some say, despite having few funny moments in between), but also the original way in which it is told to us, with flashbacks and in a very visual way, using photographs and a very visual and interesting narrative style. There are certain moments when I felt that the narrator (the son) was actually presenting slides to the audience, which is us. And with that, I felt that Mike Mills, the director, took a calculated risk, and it turned out very well. Unfortunately, I felt that the homosexual subplot is not as credible. I simply cannot conceive how such a sick and elderly man would be in a loving relationship with someone who is almost his son's age. It's not a situation I can believe in… not because it's a gay relationship… but because of the age difference and health situation.

In addition to the good story and the elegant way in which it is told, the film brings us a luxurious cast of great actors, with an evident highlight for the veteran Christopher Plummer, who gives us a moving and extremely worthy portrait of that father. By his side, and equally impactful and powerful, Ewan McGregor, in one of the strongest works I remember seeing him do. And this is not an understatement, as we know that McGregor is a great actor, and he has already proved to us what he can do on other occasions. Melanie Laurent, fresh out of "Inglorious Bast…ds”, has another excellent work here, although her character is not as remarkable and interesting as the two male leads. Goran Visnjic, unfortunately, has the most thankless role. I felt like he's really the most in the movie.

Technically, the film is discreet, but effective, and bets a lot on interesting and well-crafted cinematography, with visuals that we can appreciate as the film unfolds. The editing is good, the pace is pleasant, and the sets and costumes are within what we could have expected to find. The soundtrack doesn't stand out or stand out.

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$3,200,000

Revenue

$14,311,701

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Beginners (2011)

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Andres Gomez

Filipe Manuel Neto

Recommended Movies

Crush

American Beauty

Young Hearts

Love, Simon

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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