And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)

Director:

Anand Tucker

Writers:

Blake Morrison (book) and
David Nicholls (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 October 2007 (Ireland)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

A parent and a child. The past and the present. Memories and secrets. Can you know someone for a lifetime.... and not know them at all? The life of a father. Through the journey of a son.

Plot:

The story of a son's conflicting memories of his dying father.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Cancer | Hospital | Dying | Nonlinear Timeline

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Jim Broadbent	...	Arthur
Colin Firth	...	Blake
Juliet Stevenson	...	Kim
Gina McKee	...	Kathy
Sarah Lancashire	...	Beaty
Elaine Cassidy	...	Sandra
Claire Skinner	...	Gillian
Matthew Beard	...	Blake - Teen
Bradley Johnson	...	Blake - Child
Chris Middleton	...	Racing Steward
Elliot Avery	...	Peter
Rhiannon Howden	...	Sophie
Tom Butcher	...	Dr. Taggart
Alannah Barlow	...	Gillian - Child
Tara Berwin	...	Gillian - Teen

Also Known As:

When Did You Last See Your Father? (USA) (new title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, thematic material and brief strong language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | Ireland

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Canada:14A | Australia:M | Netherlands:6 | New Zealand:M | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Archer Street Productions

Trivia:

Matthew Beard wore brown coloured contact lenses in order to look more like Colin Firth.

Quotes:

Arthur Morrison: [as Blake enters the kitchen] Aha! Here he is! Sleeping beauty. Blake meet Sandra our new maid. Maid or housekeeper? Or Skivvy,I'm joking, let's just say you're one of the family.
Sandra: Pleased to meet you Blake.
Young Blake Morrison: You're Scottish...

Movie Connections:

References A Matter of Life and Death (1946)

And When Did You Last Really See Your Son?

"And When Did You Last See Your Father?" (2007) is an English film directed by Anand Tucker. It reminded me of the U.S. film, "The Savages," because the central plot of both movies involves a dying father who has not lived an exemplary life. Jim Broadbent is superb as Arthur, an obviously wealthy man who nevertheless goes through life cheating and manipulating people in small ways. He has a bluff, hearty, hail-fellow-well-met personality that charms people who meet him for the first time. In reality, he bullies his son and cheats on his wife. (Juliet Stevenson is excellent in the supporting role of wife and mother, as is Matthew Beard who plays Blake as a teenager.)

Colin Firth is equally convincing as Arthur's son, Blake. He's a successful award-winning writer, who nonetheless sees himself as perpetually in his father's shadow. Both men must come to grips with the situation when Arthur develops terminal cancer.

Broadbent and Firth look like each other, so it's easy to accept them as father and son. The film unfolds in an intelligent and interesting fashion. It's both artistically satisfying and philosophically challenging. I think the movie has been underrated by IMDb viewers. It's low key and thoughtful, but that's what it's supposed to be. There's nothing about it that struck me as artificially artistic. It's an honest and effective film, and worth seeking out and seeing.