Sandra Nettelbeck

Sandra Nettelbeck

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Mr Morgan's Last Love Trailer


Matthew Morgan is living in the romantic city of Paris after retiring from his teaching post as a philosophy professor. Despite having lived in France for some time, his knowledge of the language remains limited and so he more or less remains solitary since the tragic death of his beloved wife. However, soon he meets young Pauline Laubie, a dance teacher who also feels tremendously alone in her life and the pair develop an unusual bond of friendship. Their relationship is tested when she discovers that he has a son, with Matthew having never spoken about him. It soon becomes clear that he's struggling deeply to come to terms with his wife's death and is in dire need of a loving relationship once again no matter how platonic. Will he manage to find a way through his heartbreak with his new friend? Or do some wounds run too deep?

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Mr. Morgan's Last Love Review


Very Good

Complex emotions and a gentle exploration of interpersonal connections make this Paris-set drama worth a look, especially since it's so nicely played by the eclectic cast. German filmmaker Sandra Nettlelbeck (Mostly Martha) lets the story unfold slowly and steadily, getting deep under the skin of the characters in the process. The draggy pace sometimes makes the two-hour running time feel very long indeed, but it lets the cast to take the time to create rich, detailed connections that are easy to identify with.

It's been three years since Matthew Morgan (Michael Caine) buried his wife Joan (Jane Alexander) in a cemetery in Paris, their chosen home. Now he imagines her everywhere he goes, feeling her absence all the time until he runs into the young dance instructor Pauline (Clemence Poesy). Not only does she remind him of Joan, but he fills a gap left in her life after her father died. So the two begin an offbeat friendship that feels more like family than anything else. Even so, Matthew's loneliness sparks a visit from his son Miles (Justin Kirk) and daughter Karen (Gillian Anderson), who's too busy to stay for very long. They of course don't trust Pauline. And as she witnesses Matthew's interaction with them, she begins to understand that he has never related to them as a father.

While the premise sets things up for a whole lot of healing and sentimentality, the script avoids this by remaining earthy and raw, digging deep into the characters without trying to explain everything they are doing or thinking. There certainly isn't a right way to mend the problems between Matthew and his children, although it's clear that a bit of openness and respect will go a long way. Caine plays this beautifully, with a spark of wry humour alongside Matthew's relentless pain. His scenes with Poesy have a delicate chemistry that is refreshingly difficult to fully understand, and yet it feels authentic. And when Miles enters their world, things shift in even more interesting directions.

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No Reservations Review


Very Good
Amidst the action-adventure blockbusters and schlocky teen horror of summer, we always get, for better or worse, the requisite Hollywood warm-weather date movie. No Reservations may live up to its ancestry, and while that isn't saying a whole lot, it's still a relatively sweet, if predictable and overly slick, romance.

Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Kate, a control-freak chef so tightly wound it's a wonder she doesn't pop in the steam of her kitchen. Despite her position as reigning queen of the Manhattan foodie set, her killer West Village apartment, and the fact that she looks like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kate is a sad sack; she does not really exist outside of her job and her employer-ordered therapy (Kate also has a temper, see, when anyone, customers included, question her perfection).

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Sandra Nettelbeck

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Sandra Nettelbeck Movies

Mr Morgan's Last Love Trailer

Mr Morgan's Last Love Trailer

Matthew Morgan is living in the romantic city of Paris after retiring from his teaching...

Mr. Morgan's Last Love Movie Review

Mr. Morgan's Last Love Movie Review

Complex emotions and a gentle exploration of interpersonal connections make this Paris-set drama worth a...

No Reservations Movie Review

No Reservations Movie Review

Amidst the action-adventure blockbusters and schlocky teen horror of summer, we always get, for better...

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