Judi Dench leads this UK drama directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen), the true story of a single mother in search for her adult son, separated after a Christian community forced them apart decades ago. Co-starring and co-written by Steve Coogan, adapting the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by Martin Sixsmith.
Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee (Dench) was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a "fallen woman". When her baby was only a toddler, he was whisked away by the nuns to America for adoption. Philomena spent the next 50 years searching for him in vain. Then she met Martin Sixsmith (Coogan), a world-weary BBC journalist as cynical as Philomena was trusting. Together they set off for America, forging a bond themselves, to try and find Philomena's son.
Weepies can be risky territory. Get them wrong and you've made bad TV, but get them right and the rewards are yours for the taking. All of which makes Philomena a particularly brave move for Steve Coogan. Never the most natural of straight-men, he gives his most dignified performance yet, in a film he co-scripted, co-produced and generally shepherded to the screen.
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A howl of anti-clerical outrage wrapped in a tea cozy... applies amusing banter and a sheen of good taste to the real-life quest of Philomena Lee.
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Odd-couple chemistry from Dench and Coogan, a smart script and honed direction make this real-life story highly compelling.
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Watch both actors lean into characters seeking redemption; their clash is invigorating, with a mature payoff that has two minds meeting and getting further along.
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Judi Dench's portrayal ... so quietly moving that it feels lit from within.
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A moving and exhilarating film, and the strange chemistry between Dench and Coogan ferments into a 120-degree proof emotional drama.
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Lets viewers spend time with its characters and get to know exactly who's getting hurt. It arrives at an inevitable destination, but the journey is what makes it moving.
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Stephen Frears returns to top form in a touching, at times funny true story of grave injustice and a mother's search for closure.
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A terrific, sophisticated comedy that tackles serious issues with a lightness of touch and a spirit of steel.
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