How About You...

How About You is an uplifting little film about human interaction, but shouldn't be taken too seriously.

The film centres on the relationship between a young girl left in charge of an old people's home run by her sister. Sweet, funny moments occur, although many are predictable and overdone. The characters transform themselves far too swiftly, so the film loses in credibility. It is, nonetheless, a pleasant watch and an agreeable alternative to typical American romantic comedies.

Redgrave and Staunton deliver excellent performances as usual, but this film definitely wasn't a challenge to either. Atwell (the younger sister) was very much lacking in subtlety, although the fault may lie with the director or writer rather than the actress.

How About You should be watched as a fun way to wind down the day, but not as an example of Vanessa Redgrave and Imelda Staunton showing what they're truly capable of.

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I have just seen How About You at its U.S. premiere as part of the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Although there are, as we've grown to expect, beautifully judged performances from Joss Ackland, Brenda Fricker, Imelda Staunton and Vanessa Redgrave, to say nothing of the up-and-coming younger actors, the highlight for me was the performance of Irish actress Joan O'Hara, whom I did not know. Ms O'Hara gave us the most beautiful, sensitive, intelligent face of a very mature woman I have ever seen, a face which the camera seemed to caress in closeup. I was saddened to learn that Joan O'Hara herself died in July 2007 and this may have been her final performance.

Grand, luxurious country squire manor turned into ritzy nursing home. Beautiful gardens, pristine river, chintzy comfortable rooms, and yet not much peace nor content. The old age is hard enough without endless regrets, ruminations on missed opportunities, and so many memories colored with dark tinges of grief. So, in this pleasant, overly sweet, albeit very enjoyable truffle of a movie, comes young rebellious women and with a bit of attention, a dollop of booze and an occasional joint, turns around few difficult residents played by masters of British acting. Of course, none of this makes any sense. But, we don't always need to be hit on a head with the truncheon of reality. It is nice to, for a split second, believe in a possibility of redemption.

The lonely souls that are forced to live in places like Woodlands, one imagines would be more attuned to bonding with peers and form long time friendships with similar folks in their own circumstances. Alas, the people in this lovely Irish senior center appear to be mean spirited individuals at the end of their lives. The lead bitter existences as they have no interest in mingling with people they clearly abhor.

We come into this milieu where a four of the residents don't have a place where to spend Christmas. It is Ellie, the young sister of the woman that runs the place to stay behind to take care of this quartet. When she doesn't get anywhere with them, she lets them all know how she feels about their rudeness and ill manners. Instead of angering them, she rouses them up and make them come to their senses.

The foursome consists of Donald, the retired judge, who must have things his way. Georgia, the former showgirl who loves her martinis in a certain way. The bickering sisters Heather and Hazel Nightingale complete the group. When Ellie explodes and tells them truths they haven't heard in a while, they wake up to reality. Thus, for the Christmas dinner, Ellie decides to take the residents to a nearby town to get the ingredients. Together, they will have a great time and come together in ways no one even thought possible.

Anthony Byrne directed the film, which is based on a Mave Benchley short story. He couldn't have asked for a better cast, Vanessa Redgrave, Joss Ackland, Imelda Staunton and Brenda Flicker are seen in the major parts. They are joined by Hayley Atwell who is perfect for the role of Ellie.

This film will appeal to audiences of a certain age who will appreciate the nuances in the story and will certainly enjoy the magnificent cast chosen to bring it to life.

A story of four spiteful nursing home residents spending Christmas with a young hippie type of girl as their caregiver.

This overlooked holiday movie gives us some fairly memorable characters, sort of like Grumpy Old People who are stuck in a nursing home during Christmas. The young, pothead caregiver watching over them goes from apathetic to ticked off when they pull their curmudgeon routines on her.

The acting is good, atmosphere and cinematography are spot on, the whole production is as good as any large budget feature. The characters get developed during the movie, from the young girl learning to live her own life and accept some responsibility, to the old folks who learn that they can live a little while they are waiting to die.

There's a lot to like in this movie. It has some genuine holiday spirit and a decent ending. It's hard to say why more people haven't seen it because it is worth watching.