Beginners (Mike Mills, 2011)

After the death of his father, Oliver (Ewan McGregor) reflects about his own life and mortality, while beginning a new romantic relationship. With the exception of some interesting artistic and storytelling decisions, most of the main love story of Mike Mill’s “Beginners” is monotonous and, within its “hipster” novelty, predictable. The real heart of this film lies in its flashbacks, which recount the relationship between Oliver and his father Hal (Christopher Plummer), who comes out as a homosexual in his old age. Plummer deserves every accolade he has accrued for this performance. He transitions smoothly between comedy and drama, delivering one of the most heartfelt and pure performances of the year. Mills, who had already shown great promise as a screenwriter in 2004 with the underrated “Thumbsucker,” embellishes “Beginners” with some very beautiful scenes between Oliver and Hal: truthful conversations about love and life.

I am unable to fully jump on the “Beginners” bandwagon because every time the film returned to Oliver’s brooding romance, I immediately lost interest. The movie eventually fails to be as fantastic as it could have been due to the uneven quality and originality of its two storylines.

Recommended (B)