NEW ON DVD – PHILOMENA

COOGAN’S NOT BLUFFING

Who knew Steve Coogan had it in him? Here in the states, we’ve only gotten Coogan in small portions – “Tropic Thunder”, “Night at the Museum” and “The Other Guys”, but in England, he has a massive resume with over twenty years of solid work, including the indelible talk show host Alan Partridge. So, I suppose The UK knew Coogan had it in him to write, produce and star in a film as absorbing as “Philomena”, but it was great new news to me.

“Philomena” is based on the true story of Martin Sixsmith, a BBC reporter who aids in a woman’s desperate search for her son, after she had given him up in a convent. Not just any convent, but the Magdalene laundries, where “fallen women” endure harsh working conditions and insurmountable guilt (an earlier film visit to this era yielded another top ten film from 2002, “The Magdalene Sisters” – highly recommended).

Judi Dench is the perfect foil for Coogan as they set out to discover the man her son would become. And there are numerous surprises in that trail. In the end, “Philomena” is a cry for humanity – Sixsmith argues for and demands it from others, as a determined journalist might do, and Philomena Lee embodies it. It’s ultimately a moving and unforgettable tale of forgiveness that was more involving than I imagined it would be.

Directed by: Stephen Frears
Release Date: November 27, 2013
Run Time: 134 Minutes
Country: UK/USA
Rated: PG-13
Distributor: BBC Films