WATCH NOW
Directors impact projects in unique ways. That might seem a straightforward statement, but it can prove interesting (or, if you want to be pedantic about it, informative) to observe that truth in progress. Michael Winterbottom is quite a multi-talented director. Frank Cottrell Boyce, for instance, has worked on several contemporary treasures (and in the case of “The Claim” his work from 2000 certainly doesemplar it) like, “24 Hour Party People” and “Code 42.” In collaboration with Danny Boyle, he crafted the almost-crowd-pleaser “Millions.” Now, working with Carl Hunter, who produced Boyce’s earlier script 2007’s “Grow Your Own,” he gives us an unstable, engaging and well-acted story of family separation and healing.
As you see, my words hardly make any sense, yet they seem to depict something logical initially. And that’s the beauty of it.
Bill Nighy is the first to arrive from the stellar cast he stands on a beach talking on his phone. Alan, who appears to be a bit of a hothead, is a long-winded gentleman who, for some reason, stubbornly discusses his son with an ice cream truck vendor that operates on the beach. Ironically, the son, who is also called Peter Sam Riley, is not thrilled to meet his father as the reunion is much more uncomfortable than he anticipated owing to the fact that he wanted to meet his father on a casual trip. To make matters worse, Alan planned the trip in advance which includes an afternoon at a retro bed and breakfast Alan booked for them, Alan has what seems to be a compilation of images that plays on repeat within his mind and this picture is one of them the retro B&B indeed looks like something from a Wes Anderson movie.
At the accommodation, they are greeted by a couple played by Tim McInnerny and the ever-gorgeous Jenny Agutter. Jazz is brought up and Alan states, “I used to say the only good thing about jazz is that it scores high on Scrabble.” This is followed by a member of the party counter arguing, “Because there is one ‘Z’ tile (or, since we’re in England, ‘Zed’) with horrible ‘Z’ scoring with 10 points.” Accepted, good point. This is the moment Alan tries to hustle Arthur out of 200 pounds at the game.
What does this have to do with estranged families and the like? Well. Single dad Alan raised Peter and one other son unusually distantly and on a budget. (There was one episode in his struggles with Alan when Peter whined that he always bought the boys cheap substitutes for toys on holidays.) He also taught them how to play Scrabble so well that in the course of a dispute regarding the game, the now-missing son stormed out of the house for good. Is he hiding in the morgue near the B&B, or is he some sort of a ruthless online gamer who Alan constantly fails to catch in person?
He does not take long to answer this question but once Alan moves for a bit at Peter’s household, much to the annoyance of Peter’s wife but eventually to the sort of pleasure of Peter’s son who Alan (perhaps unwittingly) teaches things to, the question becomes secondary.
Nighy is, of course, brilliant in bringing to life what might have otherwise been a collection of short tempers and features. He and the Andersons, while more sad than exciting, are appropriate in their own right. But this is a film one should best watch if they have a problem with “slight.”
To watch more movies like Sometimes Always Never (2018) visit 123Movies.
Also Watch for more movies like:
