Life Is Sweet Review
"Devised and directed" by Mike_Leigh, Life is Sweet (1991) concentrates on the small epiphanies, humorous eccentricities, and poignant failures that mark an oddball working-class family's quotidian existence in a London suburb. Working with extensive rehearsals and improvisations rather than a pre-prepared screenplay, Leigh and his cast focus on telling details of behavior and dialogue, revealing the full complexity of the relationships through the haphazard rhythms of daily life. Leigh's simple visual style emphasizes the nuances of the central performances, allowing the characters to be more than just the caricatures they may initially appear to be. Despite the moments of despair, the comic interludes and final moments of quiet reconciliation suggest that the title means what it says without irony. TV and theater director Leigh's second feature after a seventeen year hiatus from the movies, Life Is Sweet bolstered the cinematic reputation reestablished by 1988's High_Hopes, with Jane_Horrocks earning the Los Angeles Film Critics' Circle prize for Best Supporting Actress. Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
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