MovieChat Forums > Life Is Sweet Discussion > Can't see the justice in this film

Can't see the justice in this film

posted 17 years ago by ProfoundRed
30 replies | jump to latest

A couple years ago my film teacher showed this to our class. It is the most boring pile of crap I have ever seen. The characters are dull, as are their lives. So maybe dull is sweet, on Mike Leighs message in this film, but sweet this film is not. I have no interest in a film that is no more than a sentimental dramatisation of lower class life. I like my movies to have a story (and yes, films that portray gritty realism can have them too) and this film is just a series of incoherent rabblings. You are compelled to hate most of the characters from the moment you set eyes upon them because of how immensely irritating they are. Jane Horrocks character is like something from a looney tunes cartoon.
However, the film also taught me something. When you're going to shoot a film, or an interesting one anyway, you're going to need to write a script. Save improvisational acting for the comics, because it's boooooring in the context of a film.
There's my rant, now the fans may scorn me for how stupid and uncivilised I am for not understanding this "work of art".

"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth,"

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Sparkinson 17 years ago

Sorry to play the sophistication card, but if you find smilies with guns amusing now, a couple of years ago you may still have been clapping along to tellytubbies, and this film wont have been for you then.

[–] aliangel212001 17 years ago

There was a script you fool - the improvisation in Mike Leigh happens in rehearsal not on set.

[–] aliangel212001 17 years ago

there was a script you moron - Improvisation for Mike Leigh films happens in rehearsal not on set

[–] ProfoundRed 17 years ago

To Sparkinson:
"Sophistication Card" well played! (sounds like some American high school slang to me). By the way, if you try to mould peoples personalities around a couple of smilies on an internet message board, I don't think LIFE is for you, let alone giving a good movie criticism.
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth,"

[–] andre_dr 17 years ago

SOmetimes, while watching Mike Leigh movies I get impression like he hates his movie characters. They look disgusting, they voices sound disgusting, hey... life isnt as disgusting and boring as Mike Leigh trying to show. Coudnt watch more than 25 minutes, terrible movie

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] ProfoundRed 17 years ago

Whoop de doo for you. For the record I find you extremely arrogant. I did pay a lot of attention, as I was sat in a classroom and had no choice. "There are hundreds of films you haven't seen or books you haven't read" what the hell is that supposed to mean? I could say the same to you or anyone for that matter.
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth,"

[–] garp-26 17 years ago

My problem with Leigh (and not his problem with me) is that I feel increasingly he has allowed a patronising attitude to slip through either to his characters or his audience. Too often I feel we're invited to look at the funny people, being mainly working class who often do destructively stupid things. In the cruelly funny Abgail's Party we see upwardly mobiles, desperately trying to aspire to an idea of middle class, whilst the mother of Abigail herself is obviously from a cultured, educated background and it is with her that we observe the absurdity of the foolish behaviour of the other characters. They're embarrasingly confused as to what they feel constitutes the good life, and we're relieved when Abigail's mother appears so that we know we are right to have laughed because here is someone like us, like someone Mike Leigh hopes we identify with.
Life is Sweet is where I started to feel queasy about his films. Originally I'd hoped we were invited to cheer individuality in the face of tedium, conformity and adversity. But his humour is too barbed. I start to feel manipulated into gawping at this strange lot with the always sinister Jim Broadbent at the helm and yet another show offy OTT performance from Jane Horrocks. Why is it that Leigh has to centre his films with at least one grotesque characiture such as Horrocks, Imedla Staunton and Brenda Blethyn? Does he fear we would quickly get bored or embarrased by his case histories? Does he, like Timothy Spall in Secrets and Lies, want us to wish his characters weren't so irritating, eccentric or gormless so that we could love them more, so that Leigh doesn't have to take such awful pictures of them all?
Perhaps I'm not being fair to Leigh and he really is encouraging us to laugh at our own pretensions or confusions, it's just that I feel uncomfortable that his films may be about people who would find his work either irrelevant or mis-representative about their lives.

PS I excuse Bleak Moments from my point about Mike Leigh's films. BM found genuine humour and compassion in the portrayal of these limited lives and we are united in imagining that under the same circustances we too, like the characters, would also find very little room for manoeuvre.

Supernatural perhaps, baloney perhaps not

[–] arturobandini 16 years ago

Great, thoughtful post, Garp. But I disagree, especially in regard to Horrocks' performance. The point of the film (IMO) is that you *think* these characters are grotesque and OTT at first, but then Leigh pulls the rug out. I laughed AT Horrocks up until her bulimia was revealed, when she suddenly reminded me of a family member. When she broke down at the end, it was like a punch in the gut, because who hasn't been there? I think Leigh is much more humanistic than people give him credit for. And it's odd -- when he dropped the character quirks, as in VERA DRAKE, he was accused of sentimentalizing.

I think the only truly mean-spirited thing he's ever done is ABIGAIL'S PARTY. And I love it! I've met someone like Beverly at every party I've ever attended.

[–] garp-26 16 years ago

I always think Mike Leigh films can be compared to a reversible optical illusion. When you first look it's one way, when you blink it's another. Unfortunately when I blink his films very often stay with the one appearance - and that very crudely is us laughing at them. The exceptions to this, which I mentioned previously are the excellent 'Bleak Moments' and TV's 'Nuts in May'. These films encourage us to laugh at us; in fact we go through a wide spectrum of responses to our on screen counterparts, not least of which is compassion.
My problem with 'Vera Drake' is less to do with any sentimentalism, than finding it unbelievable with yet another top heavy, absurdly high powered performance from a lauded thesp. I feely acknowledge of course that mine is a minority view as most of his output is warmly and widely regarded, and I do, in fact, derive a certain enjoyment from much of his work. I shall make efforts to watch 'Life is Sweet' again, bearing your comments in mind (arturobandini). If my view of it flips over with this additional blink of the eye, I shall report further.

Supernatural perhaps, baloney perhaps not

[–] Luminousoctaves 16 years ago

Well, please report then! :)

Interesting posts, both of you.
I have never felt the way Garp-26 does about Leigh's films, but I understand the thought. Maybe it's a typically English observation (I'm Swedish), or maybe it's just what one chooses to see.

I found Vera Drake disappointing, since it was too conventional for my taste (expecting a typical Leigh-film), though the acting was excellent.

I watched ”Happy-Go-Lucky” yesterday and ”Life is sweet” today. First time. To me, both films perfectly represent what Leigh is capable of: squeezing out those hard fetched feelings, moods and behaviours that are rarely seen on film.

I don't see any disrespect in his characters. I also can't make any connections to specific social classes (like middle class and so on), since to me it's all about fundamental human behaviour. This might have something to do with the fact that I am middle class myself, of course. But I don't think so.

Regarding the flip in ”Life is Sweet”: one thing is for sure, it's always difficult to know from the start where Mike Leigh's films are heading. :)

[–] Luminousoctaves 16 years ago

Oh, btw, one more thing.

I found a great DVD-box from an American internet retailer some years ago. All the old TV-films from late 70´s and onwards, for a reasonable price. The film distribution company is called ”Water bearer films”. In Sweden those early films are REALLY hard to find.

[–] Luminousoctaves 16 years ago

http://www.waterbearerfilms.com/

It appears to be a company focussing on gay films(!), but scroll down a bit and there's a link to the Mike Leigh Collection. 80 USD for nine films isn't too bad!

[–] arturobandini 16 years ago

Great insights, luminousoctaves. I saw HAPPY GO LUCKY today and agree that it's one of Leigh's best films. It took me about 30 minutes to warm up to it, but once it took hold (around the flamenco class scene), it was a delight. And right when you thought it would only be a lightweight comedy, Leigh gave the proceedings an injection of bitter reality. What a deft touch he has.

Enjoy those early BBC films. ABIGAIL'S PARTY is a classic, but I think NUTS IN MAY will be the one you're still chuckling over ten years from now.

[–] headmix 16 years ago

I think we analyze him to much. He's just a great filmmaker who makes films about ordinary people who live ordinary lives which is pretty much most of us.
If we stopped and looked at our lives around us there's so much humour in the ordinary.
I love how his films have a beautiful resolution to them. As gloomy as some may see hisf ilms,I forever walk away feeling quite attached to his characters .
This is life, and yes life is sweet if we only we'd appreciate it.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] headmix 16 years ago

You call yourself profound? Ha sheer arrogance. Your a bore and a fool.

[–] sensored 15 years ago

In my top 5 all time favorite films. I didnt read the ops post I just use threads with recent posts to praise sh- it I love that dont get enough recognition. This film covers the gamut of emotions and sure works for me.
Mike god damn Leigh, god damn it

[–] Flossieandflo 14 years ago

I think any film you're compelled to watch through study is unlikely to become a favourite mainly because it wasn't your choice in the first place and also because you'll be forced to analyse it rather than sit back and enjoy. I'm thinking of all those set texts I studied for English Lit, I still don't like Wordsworth now.

I personally think Nicola is the most painfully poignant portrayal of a teenage girl with an eating disorder I have ever seen on screen - the self loathing and cynicism as a protection mechanism. Her mum Wendy wants to help but is incapable of saying the right thing, constantly provoking her which makes matters worst - as a parent I can recognise that in myself. Towards the end of the film I felt Nicola was ready to try to change, and knew that her family, imperfect as they were, would help her get through it. Because that's what most of us are, imperfect people making the best we can out of what comes our way.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 10 years ago

I think any film you're compelled to watch through study is unlikely to become a favourite mainly because it wasn't your choice in the first place and also because you'll be forced to analyse it rather than sit back and enjoy. I'm thinking of all those set texts I studied for English Lit, I still don't like Wordsworth now.

Good point nachohater. Just taking Shakespeare as an example, I much prefer those plays of his I read prior to studying at high school/college, whereas the ones I encountered for the first time at school, like 'Romeo and Juliet' initially became a bit of a turn-off.

Oddly enough, I have the same feeling whenever I'm asked to watch a film with a friend who has been raving on about it. It almost feels like homework because I'm watching the film on their recommendation and at their insistence and I feel I 'have to like it'. Maybe it's just my friends' film choices but I have a rather low opinion of some popular film classics as a result.

Also, I entirely agree with your point here:

I personally think Nicola is the most painfully poignant portrayal of a teenage girl with an eating disorder I have ever seen on screen - the self loathing and cynicism as a protection mechanism. Her mum Wendy wants to help but is incapable of saying the right thing, constantly provoking her which makes matters worst - as a parent I can recognise that in myself. Towards the end of the film I felt Nicola was ready to try to change, and knew that her family, imperfect as they were, would help her get through it. Because that's what most of us are, imperfect people making the best we can out of what comes our way.

Despite Nicola's initially off-putting persona I ultimately found her to be extremely sympathetic and touching, partly because even as a guy I can relate to some of what she was experiencing from my teenage/young adult days (including the self-loathing and consequent cynicism/apparent misanthropy). Luckily I didn't have an eating disorder (although I was close to becoming an anorexic at one stage) but I did have other issues and my heart really went out to Nicola and her mother upon seeing this film for the first time.

[–] ilpohirvonen 13 years ago

I think Mike Leigh's alright, he's no master but on the same caliber with Aki Kaurismäki and Pedro Almodovar. Nice, sweet films which have something to say but are very accessible for the general public. But I'm not a big fan of his. I thought this was a rather vacant film as well. His style is unique, I've got to hand that to him, but his films don't really speak to me like the films of Bela Tarr and Jia Zhangke do, for instance -- talking about contemporary cinema. I don't see anything stupid or juvenile in finding Life Is Sweet as a full film. I liked it more than Secrets and Lies but I think Bleak Moments is really one of his best. Not sure why though.

[–] sensored 10 years ago

You certainly got your monies worth outta that thar filum skewul

[–] citizensmith 10 years ago

My problem with this movie is that there is not much of a plot.

You've got Dad who doesn't like his job and slips over on a spoon and breaks his leg. That's basically it for him.

You've got Mum who does one shift in a restaurant and possibly has dog *beep* on her shoes and polishes dreadful object d'art.

Aubrey is a creepy twat but his story doesn't lead anywhere, other being creepy and odd and not very good at business.

As for the girls; ones a plumber and the other has an eating disorder and hairy armpits.

That's pretty much all that happens. I've had more interesting times waiting in line in the post office. But then I come from a working class London family, so perhaps there's no novelty value in it for me.

[–] ewaf58 10 years ago

It doesn't need a plot as most people's lives don't have one. It's a film based on observations of the ordinariness of our lives.

[–] Errington_92 9 years ago

Life Is Sweet is a drama which explores the essence of everyday life, characters experiencing various emotions and decisions which we can all relate to. I disagree with those who see Life Is Sweet as a patronising or boring film, rather it humanises these characters.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.

[–] ewaf58 9 years ago

At last a voice of reason. I saw it on television again a week or so ago and I still found it deeply touching.

The acting is wonderful and the situations just like real life.

[–] beresfordjd 10 years ago

I was disappointed in this film too. The parts are not as good as the whole. Horrocks is overplayed with a really annoying voice (intentionally, I would hope) and it unbalances the movie. Alison Steadman is the best thing in it (as usual).