A 2010 film directed by Mike Leigh. It looks at a year in the life of Tom and Gerri, a Happily Married elderly couple working and living in London; they garden, they work, they feed their friends and they're in love. Throughout the film we're introduced to the people around them. Single-and-looking Mary (Lesley Manville), who works at Gerri's office; their activist lawyer son Joe, who has yet to settle down, their old friend Ken, Tom's brother and widower Ronnie.
It's a very slow-paced, conflict-free Slice of Life film, that makes use of incredible acting, natural dialogue, wonderful writing and subtly dark humour to carry the itself.
This work provides examples of:
- Abhorrent Admirer:
- Ken is interested in Mary, and Tom and Gerri try to push them together, but Mary finds him unattractive and annoying and is openly irritated when he tries to make a move on her in the car.
- In turn, Mary is this to the much younger Joe, who clearly views her as an aunt figure (much to her distress) and is put off when she tries to get closer to him.
- And Starring: Imelda Staunton get this, although she only appears for about five minutes in the beginning.
- Brutal Honesty: When Mary talks about her former lover, a married man whom she describes as the love of her life, Tom points out to her, "Sounds like a duplicitous shit." Even Gerri is taken aback.
- Butt-Monkey: Mary can never catch a break. Though she causes plenty of problems for herself, she nevertheless constantly finds herself treated rudely wherever she goes or otherwise finding trouble. Look no further than her attempt at a summer holiday to Brighton, which ends poorly when her cheap car breaks down on the way there and she's groped by the tow truck driver who ends up taking her to a town she loathes.
- Downer Ending: The film ends with a miserable and lonely Mary, still single and alcoholic, looking away distantly at as the company around her (who tolerate her at best and disrespect her at worst) enjoy a lively conversation without her.
- The Eeyore: Downplayed. Mary isn't so depressing that she has a cloud hanging over her head, but she complains openly about how miserable her life is, despite it making people around her uncomfortable.
- Expospeak Gag: Tom, Gerri, Joe and Katie talking about Tom's work.
- Foil: Mary's single, and her desperate attempts at joy is a harsh contrast to Tom and Gerri's easy happy life.
- Genki Girl: Katie, to the nth degree. Mary's bad attitude does little to put her off, and she's always talkative and in an upbeat mood.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Mary is bitterly jealous when Joe arrives with a new girlfriend (and having ignored her invitations to connect) and spends the evening snapping back at her polite questions — though not entirely unjustified, as Katie is subtly elitist by immediately assuming Mary is nothing more than a secretary (which is true).
- Happily Married: Tom and Gerri are a perfectly happy and relaxed older couple.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Mary, who is never far from a glass of wine and who still passes out with her shoes on.
- Motor Mouth: Mary is chatty to the point of exhaustion, but never seems to realize when she's talking too much.
- No Antagonist: The characters themselves tend to be their own worst enemies.
- Older Than They Look: Mary looks and dresses younger for her age, and complains that men are attracted to her because they think she is younger than she is and are turned off when they discover her true age.
- Old Maid: Mary, single and looking for a guy, is concerned with her age and reveals that she regrets never having kids, having been hung up on a married man she had an affair with years ago.
- Punny Name: Tom and Gerri. They gladly acknowledge this.
- The Quiet One: Ronnie is very taciturn, and his quiet nature allows a lonely and depressed Mary to open up to him about her disappointments in life.
- Slice of Life: A leisurely-paced exploration of a married couple and their less-than-stable friends.
- Too Much Information: When Mary is talking about her former lover and describing how sexy he was, Tom growls, "Too much information!"
