Charlotte

I'm a huge Mike Leigh fan and was really excited by his new film! The trailer made it look funny and heart warming, as well as the expected hard-hitting stiff from him. Unfortunately the film itself- 1 hr 38 - disappointed. It was an endurance to watch those characters play out their individual and family dysfunction. Like, really difficult to watch: intergenerational trsuma; unchecked mental health issues and how this impacts everyone; the ineptitude of the stereotypical male to respond to - well, mental health issues, and, just anything at all really! It was an endurance I was 100% willing to do for the anticipation of hope, resolution, healing.... we saw some snippets of these things, mostly a trigger for the healing to come, which ultimately didn't lead anywhere, for any of the characters. When it ended, you felt like it ended half way through the story. It made one feel rather flat - what, that's it?! We needed to see these people evolve, even if very slightly. Instead we just saw them all struggle and be a-holes to each other. Give us an ending Mike!