Life's a Breeze (2014)

As Good As It Gets

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

"Little Miss Sunshine", "Chocolat", maybe even the Japanese masterpiece "Kikujiro", and "Life's a Breeze". These are all excellent films that tell an entertaining story involving 3 generations, focusing mostly on the odd relationship between a 1st generation grandparent figure & a third generation teenager. In each case, the plot isn't what you'd call nail biting suspense, and in fact the stories themselves are pretty mundane. But the payoff is in the interesting views between old & young.By the way, if you haven't read the DVD back cover yet, then DON'T. It uses some phrases which I consider to be major spo!lers. Since the story itself is pretty simple, you'll probably have a better time if you know nothing about it. Let's just say it's about an urban adventure, set in Ireland (Dublin I assume?), involving a family of weirdos.The humor is pretty tame, no real laugh-out-loud zingers, but the entire presentation is so witty and light hearted that you'll probably find yourself with a good smirk planted on your face throughout.A subtle bonus is the way this film shows us the underbelly of Irish society, I'm talking about poor families, garbage dumps (literally), homeless hangouts and other unglamorous facets of life. And yet it doesn't hit you over the head with some preachy social message about it all. The scenes simply provide a contextual backdrop behind the story. Certainly a different approach than your typical glossy Hollywood fare.Although all performances were great, I'd say the show stealer was newcomer Kelly Thornton who was 15 years old during production. Apparently she was discovered while she was walking down the street. Director Lance Daly has a flair for finding "unprofessional" young actors and eliciting the greatest performances out of them. He did the same with his two young leads in his excellent 2008 film "Kisses" about two young runaways living on the streets of Dublin. Here he does the same with his young star, and the result is a genuine performance as only a non-actor can do.If you're a fan of the films I mentioned above, or any coming-of-age comedy dramas like "The Squid and the Whale" or another gem I recently saw called "The Way, Way Back", then don't hesitate to check this out. And recycle your trash! (watch the movie and you'll see what I mean)

This film captures a deep-rooted process of many Irish families. The tired matriarch, widowed by an alcoholic husband, dealing with too many children who don't ever quite grow up. The layers of humor and tragedy are well woven in this folksy comedy. The road to hell, paved with good intentions. One of my favorite Irish phrases from my own father. Another one also applies: No good deed goes unpunished. The acting is predictably captivating. The role of the adolescent granddaughter is well written and played. The interaction between grandmother and skeptical granddaughter, opposite poles of a woman's life, is charming, subtle and moving. This isn't Shakespeare. There is no car chase, though there is a speeding shopping cart scene. It is good fun. Not frivolous, but also not overwrought.

I got this movie because I usually enjoy films of this genre. I think what bothers me most about recent Irish and/or English and/or Australian films is the utter passivity of the people depicted. I always find myself screaming, grow a pair already!Like wise with this one. I cannot say that I liked any character depicted, particularly the way in which being on welfare is taken with such a blasé attitude by all of the adults - uh, men in particular. Greedy, freeloaders, the whole lot and that is supposed to provide humor? And then you have the matriarch telling the granddaughter that essentially religion is hogwash which seems more typical of the English than the Irish.Were I and my grown siblings looking for a purported million bucks inadvertently thrown away, I think we would be a bit more aggressive when faced with opposition from opportunistic outsiders. Not these guys. Wimps, the whole lot. And for the granddaughter to throw her lowlife uncle a bone at the end was just too much. And where did all of the skepticism come from towards the mother not to mention their quickness to believe everything they heard from outsiders? Now, THAT I can identify with.A complete thumbs down from me. If this is what passes as sweet, sentimental, feel-good comedy, then I will take a pass. The only people I can see liking this film are people who are just like these characters and thus have some sort of weird empathy for them.

Life's a Breeze is a small, family oriented drama from Ireland starring Fionnula Flanagan as a retired school teacher whose adult children decide to clean up their mom's house as a birthday present. The problem is, that with the stuff they throw out, is an old mattress with the old lady's life savings in it. Thus begins a wild goose chase to recover the missing money. Flanagan is great here, as she was previously in The Guard(a must see Irish comedy), and Kill the Irishman, an excellent true crime story. Her granddaughter, Emma(newcomer Kelly Thornton), is a breath of fresh air in her numerous scenes with Flanagan. The eighty minutes go by quickly and had me laughing and rooting for a happy outcome. The cast is all good and the script witty enough to make Life's a Breeze worth watching.