Cheap laughs and forced sentimentality taint Redgrave and Stamp. Susan Wloszczyna spent much of her nearly thirty years at USA TODAY as a senior entertainment reporter. Let's call it "Cocoon" cinema — in honor Ron Howard's 1985 fountain-of-youth fairy tale. “Unfinished Song” is the best movie I have seen this year since “Amour” in January. Of course, not every film that focuses on the lifestyles of the retired yet feisty needs to be "Amour." Nor should they, given that few viewers have fully recovered from the galvanizing effects of what essentially was an Oscar-nominated horror movie about the ravages of age. With the knowledge that her days on earth are quickly winding down, Marion summons the courage to perform a solo. The uplifting story and impressive lead performances make it easily recommendable for more mature audiences. Be forewarned that the musical number that closes the film is guaranteed to have you reaching for the Kleenex. Copyright © Fandango. Get Lost in the Experience of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Kaley Cuoco Stars in the Highly Entertaining The Flight Attendant on HBO Max, The Mandalorian Chapter 13 Recap: The Child Has a Name, Chaz Ebert Debuts Song I Remember People, Performed Quarantine-Style by The Chicago Soul Spectacular. This film publicity image released by … Unfinished Song ick Wall/eOne / Postmedia News. And if there exists any more emotionally fulfilling scene in a movie this year than a radiant 76-year-old Redgrave, knit cap atop shorn head and eyes a-sparkling, pouring her entire being into Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," it would be hard to believe. Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 Page 1 of 5 Parents need to know that Unfinished Song is a heart-rending dramedy about an ill woman's quest to live a little -- and her husband's lessons on how to live at all, despite huge challenges. Now unchained from the grind of daily journalism, she is ready to view the world of movies with fresh eyes. The wise will have tissues at the ready. But at least audiences who hang in there will be rewarded with Arthur in concert doing a gravelly yet stirring version of Billy Joel's "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)". Playing a man whose insecurity, sorrow and pain threatens to turn him into an angry loner left adrift by the loss of his one true love, Stamp — too often stuck with being a supporting villain these days — manages to soar above the script's weaknesses at every turn. Audience Reviews for Unfinished Song. Is Salt-N- Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex" still considered racy? Terence Stamp gives an all-time best, Oscar-worthy performance. It sings to the heart. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy It boasts two beautiful performances from Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave. Redgrave, like her character, is a dynamic presence when she's there and sorely missed when she's gone. Whoever thought of recruiting Vanessa Redgrave as Marion, cursed with a sentence of terminal cancer who discovers joy, solace and companionship as a member of a community choir, should be handsomely rewarded. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. Marcus W Super Reviewer. It even nourishes the soul at some base level thanks to the superlative performances from the highly laurelled cast. Too bad director-writer Paul Andrew Williams seems oddly determined to compromise his character's dignity onscreen with needless waffling before he fully commits to joining the choir and taking his late wife's place in a regional contest. Stamp and Redgrave elevate adequate material into something special every time they share the screen. Meanwhile, a quietly poignant performance by Chris Eccleston as the couple's estranged son, who is saddled with one of those precocious ray-of-sunshine daughters who only exist in film, suffers from a lack of back story to fully explain the subsequent fury he harbors against his father. All rights reserved. Make sure to blend in plenty of spicy antics and sexual wink-winks — hanky-panky humor is to the over-50 crowd what bathroom jokes are to grade-schoolers, don't you know. The simple fact is that Unfinished Song works on nearly every level -- thanks in large part to the presence of Terence Stamp and the always remarkable Vanessa Redgrave. Gather a pair or an ensemble of well-regarded oldsters who resonate across generations. That, alas, is often the case with "Unfinished Song" (formerly known as "Song for Marion"), a kind of assisted-living "Glee" (and, perhaps, influenced by the documentary "Young@Heart" as well as other chin-up U.K.-based fare such as "The Full Monty") that concerns an amateur choir of British pensioners whose supposedly hip-and-happening repertoire is almost as out of date as their stuck-in-the-'70s hairdos and wardrobes. Somehow, Terence Stamp — his once cruel-yet-beautiful face, so haunting in the 1967 classic "Far From the Madding Crowd," turned gaunt, creased and sunken while his granite-blue eyes remain as fatally piercing as ever at 74 — matches if not exceeds Redgrave's contributions as Arthur. Like other films in this genre a lot of tears are shed, couples have been married for 50 years or more, the wife is dying and the husband has to learn how to cope. The crescendo of two resonant careers makes the false notes of "Unfinished Song" forgivable. Movie review: Unfinished Song. Make sure one character will blissfully undergo a life-altering event, while another will crankily cling to ancient habits until the tearful finale. Unfinished Song movie reviews and ratings - Tribute.ca rating of 4.33 out of 5 Stars. Katherine Monk, Postmedia News 07.04.2013. Given its subject matter, Unfinished Song isn't exactly a joyride, but it does plenty to liven things up along the way. But, as is the case with most "Cocoon" cinema, the genius is usually found in the casting choices, and it is here that "Unfinished Song" provides something to trill about—namely the central couple who movingly dominate the story. It's a sweet and well-cast film, but it's also unevenly paced and never quite rises above mediocrity. Few others could turn the act of simply staring off into space while puffing on a hand-rolled cigarette into an eloquent portrait of silent struggle. Unfinished Song is full of predictably poignant moments; you'd be lucky to survive the film dry-eyed. Is it shocking for adults in their dotage to strike heavy-metal poses and flash devil horns while performing Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" while donning ratty hair-band wigs? Forgot your password? Shamelessly sentimental, cute to a fault, but the acting is first-rate. Nov 04, 2015. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Don't have an account? That, alas, is often the case with "Unfinished Song" (formerly known as "Song for Marion"), a kind of assisted-living "Glee" (and, perhaps, influenced by the documentary "Young@Heart" as well as other chin-up U.K.-based fare such as " The Full Monty ") that concerns an amateur choir of British pensioners whose supposedly hip-and-happening repertoire is almost as out of date as their stuck-in-the-'70s …