Mickster Movie Review - "Philomena" (2013) ***1/2

     If you read my previous blog article, every year I attend the AMC Theaters Best Picture Showcase, which shows all the Best Picture Oscar nominees over a 2-day event. This is my sixth year attending the event. Every year there is one movie that sort of scares me. That movie that you know you probably won't like due its subject matter or style. Sometimes those fears become reality (Les Miserables) and other times I have been pleasantly surprised (Winter's Bone). Coming into the 2014 Showcase, the film that worried me the most was Philomena. It was a small, independent, British film with Judi Dench and Steve Coogan...not much there screams "You're going to LOVE this!". But as I do with each and every movie, I approached it with an open mind. It turns out, this one is one of the pleasant surprises.

     Philomena is based on a true story about a woman named Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), who at a young age gets pregnant. She is in a Catholic convent and the sisters do not approve of the baby. Philomena is forced to deliver the baby and give it up for adoption to an American family, which breaks her heart. She is now older but still mourns the day she had to give up her son. Her current daughter sees her crying one day, and Philomena confesses about the situation, something she had never done before. Her daughter approaches former journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) about writing a story on her mothers situation. At first he is not interested, but once he meets Philomena he agrees to do the story. Philomena and Martin head to America to find her son. They end up finding out about her son, but more importantly, they find out a lot more about themselves and their beliefs.

     I was pleasantly surprised with this film. It clocks in at just over 90 minutes which is perfect for this story. It is a little slow at first, but once we get to America and start putting the pieces of the puzzle together, I was hooked with these two and was genuinely interested in seeing what would happen. You expect the film to go one way, but it does a 180 on you about halfway through and it's at that point where I was on board for good. This movie is a pure drama, but I was surprised at how often I laughed along the way. Dame Judi Dench is a real gem in this film, but Steve Coogan really makes it work. I don't know much about him at all, but I was really impressed here. The films is directed by Stephen Frears and is based on a book written by the real Martin Sixsmith and his account of the events, "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee". After seeing the film, I do want to search out this book and read more about what happened. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give it. If you're up for a good emotional drama that will make you cry and smile at the same time, I give a solid recommendation to Philomena.