Romantic urban drama with a sideplot more interesting than the main one; director has a knack for cute pictures and slick montages and narration, but makes little sense of the story.

Admittedly I was less than enthralled with Ewan's character's romance, but Beginners is a genuinely moving film that centers around our parent's place in our lives and moreover the acceptance that they too are independent people with wants and needs and fears. The more specific a film is the more universal it tends to feel, and that's Beginners. Great pacing, style to burn, worth watching. Score is not a grade.

So, this is a Miranda July-inspired dramedy about depressed, but tender people, with cute drawings, cool (but sad) lines -- what the hell, is this a Tumblr or a film? --, eccentric characters -- they try to be lovable, but they are just irritating --, a dog that communicates with human beings -- it's Miranda's pet, I'm quite sure --, inadequate flashbacks and this poseur thing of putting historical and personal events together. Ok. Phony.

It's easy to take concepts like sadness and hope and dramatize them, but Beginners uses them in the first real portrayal I've seen in a while. Even when we're photo-sliding through memories, everything has an impact on the main characters and how they manage to love and live, smile and be sad, experience relationships and complexities. The heart of the film is too genuine to be bogged down by any indie philosophizing or gimmicks.

Bam, tell 'em Rumplesink!

I like a lot of the little quirks and stylistic choices of this movie, the kind of things that may annoy some but I thought they were great. I also think the screenplay is great and Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer are great. Melanie Laurent is pretty good.

shallow story covered up by pretty people and cute dialogue. but the dialogue WAS very cute.

It held my interest and has some unique flashback narrative, but I felt it was trying to be more intelligent than it was. Good performances from the cast.

A very well-written story which unfortunately was a little slow at times....but still quite good, and worth watching for great acting and some interesting scenes.

Sure, all the problems people say are there are indeed there. For a film about life and death the stakes feel pretty low, and the adorableness of McGregor and Laurent's relationship feels overly constructed at times. But it's all wrapped up in such a pleasant and poignant way, if you're open to being charmed, it will charm you.

This is a good character piece work. The three main actors: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent are all very good in their roles. The story jumps around in time but it is easy to follow.

“Beginners” has a quirky charm about it thanks to a wonderfully unique style of storytelling. There’s a lot of visual tricks thrown into the narrative, but they don’t get in the way thanks to director Mike Mills’ emotional attachment to the project. The raw emotion never gets lost, even amongst the quirkiness. Mills has a gem on his hands here with “Beginners”. Films like this don’t come along all that often and we need to appreciate this kind of quality filmmaking.

Though brilliantly delivered by Plummer the dying gay dad character feels a bit misplaced here and there, but that aside one of the most intriguing and intimate mixes of love story and existential journey to come across the silver screen since 'Lost in Translation'.

A delightful, touching, beautiful and at times painful movie. Mills' script is wonderful, his direction elegant (if, for want of a better word, a little overly 'indie' at times), and the performances from the three leads are all very good indeed. Best of all are the brilliantly fleshed out character relationships, which are deep, complex and meaningful. The musical score is a real treat too; subtle and effective. One of 2011's very best.

Adorable piece of work. I am really happy to see McGregor again showing decent performance. Their chemistry with Laurent looks very credible. Special thanks to the dog who deserved an animal Oscar, if there was any. Another good example how an unconventionl love story can put into a deep muse.

elegant, touchy, somewhat melancholic but still hopeful...a beautiful parallel story of losing love & finding love

A well acted film that is capable of evoking various emotional responses.

Christopher Plummer proudly plays himself as an aged homsexual lothario with a $6400 scarf collection. A victory for all the Ewan McGregors of the world. Also there is a talking dog or something like that.

you make me laugh but you are not funny

Christopher Plummer gives one of his best performances in Mike Mill's Beginners, but this film should not be considered a one-trick-pony. Mills takes what could have been a maudlin story and keeps it mostly light with just the right amount of emotional moments. The film occasionally loses focus when not in flashback mode, but as a whole, it works both as a romantic comedy and a bittersweet reflection on emotional commitment and self-understanding.

Plummer is great as the late to life gay father and his acting with McGregor shows that love is difficult no matter what shape in comes in. Be is straight, gay or platonic love is love and is never easy. The real winner of the movie in my eyes is Laurent, she never has to be alone anymore. I am here for you Melanie!

Has its moments, but as a whole, a little too low key for my taste.

kopek, resimli anlatim

Biraz amerikan, biraz fransız olsun. Hem düz izleyiciye ulaşırız hem de entel kitleye. Gay mevzusunu da koyduk mu bir oyuncu oscar'ını da kaparız. Ama çok irite edici bir çift olmuşuz onu hesaba katmadık.

According to IMDb this is supposed to be a comedy, drama, romance. It is not very funny, sad, or romantic. People are praising Chritopher Plummer, I didn't think he was anything special. Mélanie Laurent was pretty good. It's hard to really get anything out of this movie. It jumps back and forth in time, with no real added effect to the movie. It's just forgettable, but it was sort of fun while it lasted I guess.

Despite the indie-flick trappings, they are overpowered by how the film deconstructs the complexities of love, life, and commitment with a light-hearted, ingenuous flair.

Juggles two good stories, but doesn't do it very well. Good acting.

The pace drags a bit toward the end but a solid effort all around

This is what a boring, depressed, charmless artiste looks like. This is what his boring actress girlfriend looks like. This is their boring bereft-of-passion romance. These are his hipster friends who ironically tag brick walls. Here is his charming gay father. And this is his father's dog whose thoughts appear on screen as subtitles - QUIRKY! All characters lack emotional depth. Bach's suite no. 1 is almost as cliche as Pachabel's Canon in D at this point. And: Why was this rated R?

"Beginners" is the most beautiful surprise of the year. I didn't expect it to be that good. Yes, it really was terrific. The direction was just brilliant, the script fantastic, perfectly balancing between drama, comedy and romance, while the cast was great as well. Static films don't get any better. Take that, Jean-Luc!

"Beginners" is a lovely treat with brains and heart to spare. Mills skillfully handles the back-and-forth structure and he has a sharp eye for the human condition. The performances are splendid (especially Plummer) while the seamless way in which comedic and dramatic elements are combined is refreshing. And if occasionally the quirkiness feels forced or some dialogues ring false, it's all forgiven because this is a film so tender and heart-piercing that will undoubtedly put a smile on your face.

This was one of the few movies I've seen in recent years that felt original and refreshing, especially the first half was great. Had really nice surprises like the costume party. "While I understand up to 150 words - I don't talk" has got to be one of my favourite movie diolagues ever.

12 Ekim 2011, filmekimi, abimle, atlas sinemasi & derin gorunen ama yuzeysel kalmis bir 'feel-good' film. Senaryo ve ritim konusunda sorunlu. Oyunculuklar hos.

"Beginners is all about human ambiguity, contradiction, shades of gray, and the inherent imbrication of the joy of having something and the terror of losing it." - Diego Costa

You know how stage and sports performers make it look effortless, this movie has the same effect with the least amount of threads. It's pretty easy to take apart, yet effective.

Mills does an admirable job of scrutinizing its leads' despondent memories by way of getting through the day. While it unfolds rather disjointedly, I felt like treading familiar territory, as if I've known these people for a very long time and therefore enjoyed my time spent with them. I didn't care for Plummer's character as much I had hoped but can understand, given its resolution, how it fits the picture. McGr/Laurent are a match made in heaven, their offbeat relationship refreshingly honest.

A nice story about love and sadness. The characters were good except that they were a little emotionally shallow. Neverthless it was enjoyable to watch.

Every once in a while, you find an unexpected gem in the cinema: a film that does everything exactly right. Beginners's genuine feeling comes to life in exquisite performances by McGregor, Laurent and Plummer - while the humour (despite the topic of grief) is spot on. A few really clever or charming shots make this film feel a lot like Amélie - but so much more diverse.