This Beautiful Fantastic 2016

     Bella dreams of being an author of children’s books and she works at a library.  Next door to her lives Billy Tanter and Alfie Stephenson.  Aflie is vary cantankerous and Billy cooks for him despite his verbal abuse.  O’Brien pays a visit to Bella’s home to check conditions, he learns that the garden has gone to seed and it looks terrible.  According to Bella’s rental agreement, she must keep the home in good condition and also the garden.  Bella takes very good care of the home but she’s not comfortable in the garden.  Billy forces O’Brian to give Bella one month to renovate the garden so she can still live here.  Unusually, cranky O’Brien starts to help with the garden by guiding Bella about what to plant and how to plant.

     Bella Brown believes she is weird and she doesn’t fit in?  Plus, she doesn’t want to fit in!!  When she meets Billy, he tells her that in case she hadn’t noticed, he is weird, he doesn’t fit in and he doesn’t want to fit in!!  I thought this was a wonderful and magical movie!!  Everyone in this film is different and unusual but they are themselves and there is nothing wrong with that!!  What kind of world would this be if everyone was the same??  Would people want to be like they were cookies cut out with cookie cutters to think, feel and look identical?  There is a comic, whimsical approach in this film and it softens any rough edges that the characters have.  This film has the tone and feel of a real-life fairy story.  5* (I really liked this movie)    

           

100 min, Drama directed and written by Simon Aboud with Mia Farkasovska, Jessica Brown Findlay, Anna Chancellor, Jeremy Irvine, Eileen Davies, Tom Wilkinson, Andrew Scott, Natalie and Nancy Nasseraldeen, Paul Hunter.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 64% critic 74% audience, Roger Evert 1 ½* Sheila O’Malley, Metacritic 51 out of 100 with 10 critics (5 positive, 4 mixed, 1 negative) 7.1 out of 10 user score (12 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative), Letterboxd average 3.4* out of 5* with 19 reviews, Common Sense Media Barbara Shulgas age 8+ 3* out of 5*, 1* educational, 3* positive, 3* role models, 1* violence, 1* sexy, 2* language, 1* drinking, drugs & smoking.  There is a comic, whimsical approach in this film and it softens any rough edges with the characters.  

Special Note:  Andrew Scott was interested in a role in this film because he was tired of playing villains?  Some critics have referred this film as the British version of Amelie 2001.  Originally, in 2009 Carey Mulligan and Joanne Lumley were scheduled to star.  Later, in 2010, Felicty Jones, Rhys Ifans and Rupert Friend were lined up to star.  Director Simon Aboud met with Jeremy Irvine in New York to discuss a roll in the film.  Simon was surprised that Irvine pitched to him about being in the movie instead?