Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15428 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-17
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Synopsis
Director Mike Leigh escapes the confines of direct-to-television films with this incredibly bittersweet slice-of-life comedy about a blue-collar family living in modern-day England. Wendy (Alison Steadman) and Andy (Jim Broadbent) are a good-natured couple with two daughters, Nicola (Jane Horrocks) and Natalie (Claire Skinner). As different as two sisters could possibly be, Natalie is jovial and optimistic, while Nicola is a discontented cynic with contempt for everything she encounters. When Andy breaks his foot and strikes upon the idea to buy a hot dog van, Wendy is reminded of what she loves--and loathes--about her husband. Gradually, Nicola is revealed to have a potentially dangerous eating disorder, and by the time tensions between the sisters erupt, Wendy must gather all her strength to keep the family together.
With LIFE IS SWEET, Leigh has pulled off a remarkable feat: He has made a film that is at once a raucous comedy, a poignant drama, and a heartfelt tearjerker, setting the standard for all slice-of-life films that follow. In addition to the spot-on performances of Steadman, Broadbent, Horrocks, and Skinner, Leigh regulars David Thewlis and Timothy Spall appear to add even greater depth--and comic relief--to the proceedings.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant and heart-rending
'Life is sweet/bittersweet...' Maria Mckee wrote the great title song of her brilliant solo album after seeing this film, and this is a film full of sweet moments that will also leave you feeling hollowed out by the end. Alison Steadman is the irrepressibly optimistic matriach of an ordinary lower middle class family. Husband Jim Broadbent has a million plans and schemes to escape his job, none of which will come to fruition. Jane Horrocks is the unhappy bulemic daughter whose nervy misery is contrasted with the sensible thoughtfulness of her twin played by Clare Skinner. David Thewlis is her the cruel boyfriend who grows fed up of licking chocolate spread from Jane Horrocks breasts (is he mad?) Timothy Spall turns in a marvellous performance as the deluded, predatory and pathetic would-be restauranter and the film works as a beautifully constructed ensemble piece about the necessity of dreams and the power of family bonds. I often cry at films - I cried at three separate moments in thsi one. Required viewing for all aspiring British film-makers. And, yes that means you Richard Curtis - you could learn a thing or three from this...

A small masterpiece
That's what this film is. I say small only because the whole subject is small - a small suburban family's daily existence. But from the moment they open their front door to us, we are reminded how extraordinary normal everyday families can be. The tone is bitingly satirical as it sends up some of the odder urban steroetypes of modern times. Without giving away these superb characters, Spall and Horrocks are hysterical and worryingly good in their roles. The Horrocks character in particular is a gem and is the real centrepiece around which this brilliantly crafted film rotates. I haven't seen a sharper or more satirical movie about British family life than this. Leigh at his best.

What a great DVD
Life is Sweet is a real classic - one that everyone should put on their list of must see films.