Broad English humour? Check. Mismatched duo forced together by circumstance? Check. A heartbreaking and deeply moving story that will bring most of its viewers to tears? Check. A nearly 80 year old woman cussing? Check. Philomena checks all the boxes for what would generally be considered audience pleasing entertainment for an English comedic drama, the problem though, is that it tries to tick them so thoroughly and with such self-assurance, that though inarguably effective, the film lacks a certain freshness and originality that it might have achieved had wandered off the beaten path just a little bit more.
Directed by the justly acclaimed and prolific Stephen Frears, the film tells the true-life story of its title character (Judi Dench), an elderly woman who one day confides in her daughter that some fifty years earlier she had a baby boy out of wedlock and was subsequently banished from her home and forced into a convent where she worked hard labor in the laundry and cared for the child until it was adopted out – essentially against her will. At a party, her daughter meets Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a disgraced former Labour advisor transitioning into journalism. Out of work, he reluctantly agrees to meet Philomena and hear her story.
The first part of the film is punctuated by heartbreakingly grim flashbacks depicting how the young Philomena found herself in the situation that not only led to the birth of her child, but the child being sold without her knowledge. Sixsmith agrees to tell her story and the film essentially becomes an Odd Couple-styled road movie as they investigate the covenant and then seek out her now adult son that was taken to America.
As well as being the leading actor, Coogan also co-wrote the film with Jeff Pope, and aside from a general feeling of going through the motions with the plot, the material is handled sensitively with a good deal of humour. The true story also allows for unexpected twist halfway through that keeps the proceedings constantly engrossing. The writers (as well as Frears and his editor Robbie Ryan) should also be commended for crafting a rare story that speeds along with absolutely no extraneous material: seriously, you won’t need to check your watch once during the film, which given the laborious handling of some films, especially in recent years with creeping running times, is cause for celebration.
The performances, as you would expect given the material and the fact that it was written by one of the leading stars, are certainly awards baiting, but when they’re this good, who cares, they’re fine none the less. Coogan perfectly embodies his uptight, stuffy and constantly misunderstood rich kid, and Judi Dench is on top form as the cagey Philomena.
Even if it doesn’t really break new ground, Philomena is expertly crafted entertainment, and well worth the journey regardless.
Philomena is in Australian cinemas from Dec 26 through Hopscotch Films.
