Rent Life is Sweet (1990)
3.6 of 5 from 172 ratings
1h 38min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- 'Life is Sweet' is the remarkable story of an unremarkable British family told in the classic tragi-comedy style that is uniquely Mike Leigh's. It covers issues of unemployment, anorexia, failure, nervous breakdown, and hope, as they affect one suburban London family and their friends and acquaintances. The characters and story were created with and by the actors - giving a special edge and momentum to the unfolding events.
- Actors:
- Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks, Stephen Rea, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Moya Brady, David Neilson, Harriet Thorpe, Paul Trussell, Jack Thorpe-Baker
- Directors:
- Mike Leigh
- Producers:
- Simon Channing-Williams
- Writers:
- Mike Leigh
- Studio:
- Spirit Entertainment
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Films About Sisters, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Films By Year, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films, Top Films of 1990: Vol. 2
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 28/05/2012
- Run Time:
- 98 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 2.0
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
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Reviews (3) of Life is Sweet
Mike Leigh gets darker - beautiful film - Life is Sweet review by CP Customer
This sees Mike Leigh delving a little deeper and a little darker than in some of his earlier films. The subject matter is loosely the same, a dysfunctional family living on the bread-line, with well drawn divisions between the characters. Lots of heart-aching and lots of laughter, this is a beautiful if uncomfortable modern-day saga. It is not a film that anyone should regret seeing.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
saccharine - Life is Sweet review by JD
The beauty of this film is the characterisations. Some are quite bazaar but utterly convincing. The gentle interactions and reactions. The problem is that the plot rambles on never really in any way gripping and pulling the senses.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Nineties Zeitgeist. - Life is Sweet review by Steve
While the box office rewarded American gross-out comedies through the '90s, Mike Leigh continued to make acutely observed crystallisations of the state of England, often profound and carrying a huge emotional undertow. This one is about a family in Essex about the time Margaret Thatcher lost power.
Jim Broadbent plays the comical father, the sort who got on his bike to look for work, and never gave up, but wasn't cut out to be an entrepreneur. He has two daughters, the excellent Jane Horrocks as a secret bulimic, and Clare Skinner, a plumber who looks to America for cultural inspiration.
The heart of the story- and its hero- is Alison Steadman as the wife and mother who keeps all these diverse fragments together, with resourcefulness and untutored eloquence that no one will ever recognise or reward because they are spent in the home. Her performance is inspirational and hugely poignant.
The centrepiece is a scene where the mother tries to motivate her depressed daughter (Horrocks) with a description of her own struggles, the only time she shows her heart. And her selfless pragmatism. It's a fine film anyway, with a subtext which reflects on the impact of Thatcherism. But Steadman's portrayal lifts it up among the best of UK cinema.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.