This Beautiful Fantastic
A young aspiring author (Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown Findlay) and a cantankerous, rich old widower (two-time Oscar-nominee Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton) begin an unlikely friendship in this British romantic drama.
When Bella (Findlay) is forced by her landlord to deal with her neglected garden or face eviction, she meets her nemesis, match and mentor in Alfie Stephenson (Wilkinson), the grouchy, loveless old man who lives next door and is an amazing horticulturalist.
- Director:
- Simon Aboud ('Comes a Bright Day')
- Writer:
- Simon Aboud
- Cast:
- Jessica Brown FindlayTom WilkinsonJeremy IrvineAndrew ScottAnna ChancellorCharlotte AspreyEileen DaviesSheila Hancock
Reviews & comments
Flicks, Adam Fresco
flicksWriter-director Simon Aboud delivers a gentle comedy about an unlikely friendship that’s neither particularly beautiful, nor that fantastic, but not without considerable charm. Bella (Jessica Brown Findlay), is introduced as, “the oddest of oddballs.” Orphaned as a baby, saved by ducks, now grown into an obsessively ordered librarian, and aspiring children's author, Bella faces eviction, unless she restores her London home’s neglected garden. Terrified by the unpredictability of nature, Bella is forced from her orderly, indoor world, into the wild outdoors, where she meets her neighbour - grouchy, wealthy widower, and inspired gardener, Alfie (Tom Wilkinson).
Delightful
Variety
pressThere are no puppies, kittens or baby bunnies in This Beautiful Fantastic. That said, however, any restraint before the altar of adorableness is abandoned in writer-director Simon Aboud's sophomore feature.
The Washington Post
pressDepending on how you take your twee - sparingly or, as is the case in this preciously concocted tale of English misfits, slathered like marmalade over a crumpet - it will either delight or quickly cloy.
The New York Times
pressAboud ... works some obvious parallels as he tells the story of a timid young woman, her cranky old neighbour and the garden that separates them, but enjoyable performances keep the tale from becoming too heavy-handed.
Stuff
pressFinlay reminds one of a young Winona Ryder as she winsomely juggles learning to garden with letting her guard down, while the always watchable Andrew Scott once again proves to be a scene-stealer with his kindly cook.
New Zealand Herald
pressAn enjoyable, if predictable film of familiar faces, tropes, and environs.
Hollywood Reporter
pressNone of what transpires is earth-shattering, but it's the way it happens, with the simplicity and sense of wonder of an old-fashioned picture book, that makes her story, however wispy, delightful.
Flicks, Adam Fresco
flicksWriter-director Simon Aboud delivers a gentle comedy about an unlikely friendship that’s neither particularly beautiful, nor that fantastic, but not without considerable charm. Bella (Jessica Brown Findlay), is introduced as, “the oddest of oddballs.” Orphaned as a baby, saved by ducks, now grown into an obsessively ordered librarian, and aspiring children's author, Bella faces eviction, unless she restores her London home’s neglected garden. Terrified by the unpredictability of nature, Bella is forced from her orderly, indoor world, into the wild outdoors, where she meets her neighbour - grouchy, wealthy widower, and inspired gardener, Alfie (Tom Wilkinson).
Variety
pressThere are no puppies, kittens or baby bunnies in This Beautiful Fantastic. That said, however, any restraint before the altar of adorableness is abandoned in writer-director Simon Aboud's sophomore feature.
The Washington Post
pressDepending on how you take your twee - sparingly or, as is the case in this preciously concocted tale of English misfits, slathered like marmalade over a crumpet - it will either delight or quickly cloy.
The New York Times
pressAboud ... works some obvious parallels as he tells the story of a timid young woman, her cranky old neighbour and the garden that separates them, but enjoyable performances keep the tale from becoming too heavy-handed.
Stuff
pressFinlay reminds one of a young Winona Ryder as she winsomely juggles learning to garden with letting her guard down, while the always watchable Andrew Scott once again proves to be a scene-stealer with his kindly cook.
New Zealand Herald
pressAn enjoyable, if predictable film of familiar faces, tropes, and environs.
Hollywood Reporter
pressNone of what transpires is earth-shattering, but it's the way it happens, with the simplicity and sense of wonder of an old-fashioned picture book, that makes her story, however wispy, delightful.
Delightful
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