WHO’S IN IT?
Judi Dench (Skyfall), Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa), Mare Winningham (Swing Vote), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones), Sophie Kennedy-Clark (Single Father), Charlie Murphy (The Village), Simone Lahbib (Wire in the Blood), Anna Maxwell Martin (Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa), Charles Edwards (Diana)
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Stephen Frears (The Queen), director; Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) and Jeff Pope (Mrs Biggs), writers; Steve Coogan (What Maisie Knew), Tracey Seaward (Tamara Drewe) and Gabrielle Tana (Coriolanus), producers; Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech), composer; Robbie Ryan (Fish Tank), cinematographer; Valerio Bonelli (Hannibal Rising), editor
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Martin Sixsmith (Coogan) is a former government spin doctor now working as a political journalist, all while becoming increasingly depressed and cynical thanks to his job less from the former. At a party, he is approached to write a story about a woman named Philomena Lee (Dench), who became pregnant at a young age and was forced to give up her son for adoption by the strict nuns at her covenant. Together, they work to locate the son and reunite him with his biological mother…
WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?
It might not sound like much on paper, but trust us when we say that Philomena is actually one of the season’s most anticipated releases, in this country anyway. As to why this is, see some of many reasons below.
Of course, Judi Dench is still an extremely popular home-grown actress, so anyone and everyone will always be interested in whatever role she takes on. Early awards buzz seems to unsurprisingly focus on her performance here, making her a possible contender for the forthcoming Oscar season. However, where more interest lies is perhaps with her co-star Steve Coogan, himself a popular figure in the eyes of the British public thanks to his work in comedy writing and performing. Coming off the UK box office success Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, in which he once again starred as infamous comic creation Alan Partridge, Coogan has gone a different direction for his latest writing-acting credit. Elements of light-hearted comedy are still there, but Coogan’s co-written script with Jeff Pope, based on the book by the real-life Martin Sixsmith, seems to bend slightly more into the emotional drama of the situation rather than flat-out mockery. After all, the themes of religion, forced adoption and unbreakable optimism are all ingredients that make a heart-breaking story such as this work well as a screen story.
But Philomena also plays out as an odd couple comedy-drama, with Dench and Coogan making an unlikely team with an ultimately uplifting goal in mind. With these two fine actors driving the drama here, there’s little doubt that whatever the outcome may be it will raise some sort of smile on your face.
Director Stephen Frears is also a name to associate with this film. Arguably his biggest success to date came with directing The Queen, for which he was nominated for a Directing Oscar and saw lead actress Helen Mirren walk away with the Best Actress trophy for playing H.R.H. Should the same scenario play out for both him and Dench – who worked together previously on Mrs Henderson Presents – it would be a welcome return to glory for the man who once also directed films like My Beautiful Laundrette, High Fidelity, Dirty Pretty Things and Dangerous Liaisons.
Make no mistake; Philomena is a film you do not want to miss at the cinema. With stars like Dench and Coogan, a confident director in Frears, and a story that will tug at your heartstrings but make you laugh and smile at the same time, how can you go wrong?
**To read our special advance review, click here!**
