Beginners

For other uses, seeBeginner.

Beginnersis a 2010 Americanromanticcomedy-dramafilm written and directed byMike Mills.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 thecoming outof Mills' own father at the age of 75, five years before his death.

Beginners
Promotional poster
Directed by	Mike Mills
Written by	Mike Mills
Produced by	Leslie Urdang Dean Vanech Miranda de Pencier Jay Van Hoy Lars Knudsen
Starring	Ewan McGregor Christopher Plummer Mélanie Laurent Goran Višnjić
Cinematography	Kasper Tuxen
Edited by	Olivier Bugge Coutté
Music by	Roger Neill David Palmer Brian Reitzell Jelly Roll Morton
Production companies	Olympus Pictures Parts & Labor Northwood Productions
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release dates	September 11, 2010(2010-09-11)(TIFF) June 3, 2011(2011-06-03)(United States)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.2 million
Box office	$14.3 million

After itspremiereat the2010 Toronto International Film Festival,theLos Angeles TimesheraldedBeginnersas a "heady, heartfelt film" with a cast who have "a strong sense of responsibility to their real-world counterparts".Christopher Plummerreceived numerous accolades for his performance in the film, including theAcademy AwardforBest Supporting Actor.

Plot

(Throughout the film, scenes of Oliver Fields' memories of his deceased parents are intercut, asflashbacks,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, fromlung cancer,38-year-oldgraphic designerOliver often thinks about his relationship with Hal near the end of his life. Hal hadcome outto Oliver six months after Georgia, Hal's wife of 44 years and Oliver's mother, died of cancer, and explored life as an openlygayman 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'sJack Russell Terrier,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 haslaryngitisand 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 McGregoras Oliver Fields
  • Keegan Boos as Young Oliver
• Christopher Plummeras Hal Fields, Oliver's father
• Mélanie Laurentas Anna Wallace, a French actress with whom Oliver begins a relationship
• Goran Višnjićas Andy, Hal's much-younger lover
• Kai Lennox as Elliot, Oliver's friend and co-worker
• Mary Page Kelleras Georgia Fields, Oliver's mother
• China Shaversas Shauna, Oliver's friend and co-worker
• Reynaldo Pacheco as Juan,Hal'shospicenurse
• Jennifer Hasty as Hal's Secretary
• Jose Yenqueas Robert
• Cosmoas Arthur, Hal's (and later Oliver's) dog

Lou Taylor Pucci,the star of Mike Mills' previous filmThumbsucker(2005), has acameo appearancein the film as the man dressed as a magician at the costume party.

Production

Much of the film is based on directorMike Mills' experiences after his own father came out of the closet following his mother's death.It was shot using theRed Onedigital camera.In Oliver's dining room, there is a poster forSiedem Razy Kobieta,the Polish name of the 1967Shirley MacLainefilmWoman Times Seven.

Music

Main article:Beginners (soundtrack)

Reception

Onreview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,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,Beginnersexplores the depths of modern, multi-generational romance with wit and depth. "OnMetacritic,which assigns a rating to reviews, the film has an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timesgave 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 ofVarietycalled it "deeply poignant and disarmingly personal".Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weeklywrote: "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 ofSlant Magazinesaid: "One of the most distinct pleasures ofBeginnersis 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 theSt. Louis Post-Dispatchcalled the film "A lovably quirky comedy drama with a rhythm all its own."

Accolades

In 2011,Beginnerswon theGotham AwardforBest Feature,which it shared withThe Tree of Life.For his performance,Christopher Plummerwon numerous "supporting actor" awards, including at theNational Board of Review Awards,Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards,Online Film Critics Society Awards,Denver Film Critics Society Awards,Golden Globe Awards,Screen Actors Guild Awards,British Academy Film Awards,andAcademy Awards.Plummer also wonBest Supporting Maleat theIndependent Spirit Awards,and the film was nominated forBest Feature,Best Director,andBest Screenplayat that event.In addition, Plummer was nominated for theSatellite Award for Best Supporting Actor.

External links

• Official website
• BeginnersatAllMovie
• BeginnersatMetacritic
• BeginnersatBox Office Mojo
• BeginnersatRotten Tomatoes
• BeginnersatIMDb