Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Touching gay-themed dramedy about love and loss.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Beginners
What's the Story?
In 2003, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) meets a beautiful girl, Anna (Mélanie Laurent), at a costume party; he starts to fall for her, even though he's convinced that the relationship will never work. In flashback, viewers learn the story of Oliver's father, Hal (Christopher Plummer), who came out of the closet at age 75, began dating a younger man (Goran Visnjic), and was diagnosed with cancer. Both with his father and with Anna, in the past and in the present, Oliver must come to understand loss and accept love. Meanwhile, Hal's adorable dog, Arthur, comes under Oliver's care and "speaks" to Oliver with the aid of subtitles.
Is It Any Good?
BEGINNERS somehow manages to be playfully quirky, with hilariously deadpan dialogue and many cute moments. And at the same time, it's absolutely heartfelt, unafraid to delve into the aching emotional territories of love, loss, and broken hearts. Writer/director Mike Mills (Thumbsucker) based this movie on his own father's story, although it's clearly highly fictionalized, much to the movie's benefit.
A gimmick like the "talking" dog (he simply looks at another character and subtitles provide his dialogue) could have been annoying, but it actually strikes just the right tone, coming to the movie's rescue just before collapsing into sadness. The chemistry between characters is spot-on, and Mills isn't afraid to go in close. Beginners is a structured movie, but it allows for messiness within the structure; it's open-hearted but hilariously self-effacing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the movie portrays father-son relationships. How does it compare to other father-son stories you've seen in the media?
The movie deals with sexual orientation without going into a lot of detail or showing a lot of nudity. Does that have any impact on the storytelling?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 3, 2011
- On DVD or streaming : November 15, 2011
- Cast : Christopher Plummer , Ewan McGregor , Melanie Laurent
- Director : Mike Mills
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Focus Features
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 105 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and some sexual content
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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