Love Is All You Need
Over the years, middle-aged couples falling in love have been a kind of phenomenon in that it is rarely depicted on the big screen. But with the success of films like Amour (2012) and Crazy Stupid Love (2011), more mature love stories are taking centre stage and cleaning up at the box office. Here’s a look at some recent films that have won over international audiences.
- Love is All You Need (2012)
After she finds her husband cheating with a much younger woman, Ida (Trine Dyrholm – A Royal Affair, In A Better World) is determined to put on a brave face for her daughter’s upcoming wedding. She refuses to let even the initially brusque manner of the groom’s father, Philip, (Brosnan) put her off.
But as the wedding celebrations gather pace, all involved – including the supposedly happy couple – are faced with the realisation that the spirit of Italy is offering them the chance of a new beginning – one that Ida and Philip ultimately grasp with both hands.
- It’s Complicated (2009)
Meryl Streep may be one of the few, if not the only actress her age still regularly playing one half of a romantic duo. In Nancy Meyers’s It’s Complicated, Streep plays successful baker Jane, torn between her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) and her new lover Adam (played by Steve Martin), much to the dismay of her grown children.
To add to the drama, Jake is grappling with his own issues in the form of his much younger wife and a son that might not be his. Despite largely mixed reviews, the film performed well commercially, becoming Meyers’s third highest-grossing movie to date.
- Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
In this Nancy Meyers flick, Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson team up as a bickering twosome who find love in a most unlikely situation. Nicholson plays music mogul playboy Harry, who is dating the daughter of Keaton’s character Erica when the film starts.
After a heart attack, Harry is forced to stay in Erica’s care, when the two begin to form a bond both unexpected and fitting at the same time. The film earned generally positive reviews, especially for Keaton, who nabbed an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
- - Mamma Mia (2008)
In the film adaptation of the hit West End musical inspired by the songs of ABBA, Meryl Streep headlines a stellar cast that includes Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård. The award-winning actress stars as the offbeat Donna Carmichael, who must contend with three past lovers, invited by her soon-to-be married daughter (played by Amanda Seyfried) in a ploy to discover her paternity.
For her daughter’s sake, Donna attempts to be cordial and to her surprise, ends up falling in love all over again. The film opened to generally mixed reviews, but was a hit at the box office, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2008 internationally.
- Hope Springs (2012)
In another Meryl Streep-helmed drama, the actress plays one-half of devoted married couple Kay and Arnold Soames (Tommy Lee Jones). After years of sleeping in separate rooms, Kay decides to seek out the help of a marriage counsellor Dr. Feld (Steve Carrell).
Arnold is far more reluctant and refuses to even admit their marriage is in danger. Faced with her husband’s stubbornness and one disastrous session after another, Kay wonders if she will ever be able to save her marriage. With widely positive reviews, the film garnered yet another Golden Globe nomination for Streep.
- Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)
Britain’s finest unite for this winsome comedy about a group of retirees who take up residence in a shabby hotel in India run by a buoyant young manager (Dev Patel). Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy all deliver measured performances as characters discovering a renewed faith in life and love.
The unexpected smash hit became the U.K.’s fourth highest-grossing film in 2012, and was showered with international accolades, including a nomination for Outstanding British Film at the British Academy Film Awards.
- Quartet (2012)
Making his second trip to the director’s chair, Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet, based on the 1999 West End production of the same name, stars fellow celebrated luminaries Billy Connolly, Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon.
Set in a retirement home for former musicians, all famous for their craft, the arrival of diva Jean Horton (Smith) proceeds to turn the house and its inhabitants upside down. The film received hugely positive reviews and Dame Maggie Smith earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Love Is All You Need is released on DVD 2nd September.
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