Salt Lake Tribune Review
Young
Bill Milner, who played the sheltered kid who becomes obsessed with
Sylvester Stallone in Son of Rambow, follows up with a similarly messed-up childhood tale. He plays Edward, a 10-year-old growing up in mid-80s Britain in the nursing home run by his stressed-out parents (
Anne-Marie Duff and
David Morrissey), who befriends a new resident Clarence (
Michael Caine), a grumpy ex-magician in the early stages of dementia. Director
John Crowley (who made the riveting Boy A) squeezes a good deal of emotion from
Peter Harness thin script and benefits from a talented group of veteran actors (including the great
Rosemary Harris) as the nursing homes regulars. Mostly, though, the movie further burnishes Caines rsum as a great actor. Without Caine, this movie wouldnt have a reason to exist.
-- Sean P. Means
The rundown: Michael Caine shines in this straightforward story, as an elderly man who befriends the son (
Bill Milner) of his nursing home's owners. 95 minutes. (SPM)
Synopsis: Christmas 1987 marks the one-year anniversary of Lark Hall's opening for business as an old age home in an English seaside town. But ten-year-old Edward isn't much in the mood to celebrate. He has had to give up his room. And the residents aren't exactly typical companions for a young boy. The passing of one Lark Hall resident raises the possibility that Edward might finally move back into his old room—an option that vanishes with the arrival of Clarence Parkinson. A retired magician and grieving widower, Clarence has been sent to Lark Hall by Social Services. The mere rumor of magic piques Edward's interest, but Clarence makes it clear that he wants to be left alone. Despite his initial resistance, the old man and the little boy conjure something special of their own: a friendship that transforms both their lives.
