Life is sweet

Mike Leigh’s comedy about one working lower-class English family is an affectionate, bittersweet and compassionate portrait, in the tradition of the kitchen-sink drama. By using extensive improvisation, Leigh encourages his actors to develop their own sense of characterisation. This produces a thoroughly convincing rendering of a family subtly at war with each other whilst trying to sort out their private concerns. Andrew, a chronic procrastinator and small-time dreamer is happily married to Wendy, an eternally sunny woman. They live with their twin daughters Natalie, a plumber with a simple outlook on life, and Nicola, an ill-tempered misanthrope who nurses a secret eating disorder. When not bickering, the girls share mutual contempt for their parents, who they regard as quite batty. Into this colourful mix is Patsy, a somewhat hopeless family friend who talks Andrew into hare-brained schemes and Aubrey, a deluded owner of a French-themed cafe who provides numerous laughs with his repulsive menu and lascivious manner. Leigh’s protagonists are full of nuance, extremely endearing and quite credible. Despite the weighty subject matter that he mines, Leigh maintains a whimsical tone, whilst slowly revealing the frustrations and setbacks that fester under the daily grind. Cast includes Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent, Claire Skinner, Jane Horrocks, Stephen Rea, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis.