I think the theme of this film is spot on. I was right there with Christopher Plummer's need to live his life out in dignity and furor. He is an admirable actor, understating his character and making it sparkle. My goodness, the man is dying, but he continues to haunt the bookstores and look forward to the good life. When you are 85, there are surprises in store, and we all know it. I really enjoyed the camaraderie of him, his lover, and the guys who embrace hime, even though as an octogenarian, he's a bit out of place (this would be the case in a heterosexual situation; perhaps even more). My problems are with the son and his French actress girlfriend. Do people like her even exist? It's game playing 101 from the get- go. Why she chooses such a whiny guy to hook up is a bit beyond me. Was it his Freud beard that got her? Speaking of Freud. Have you ever seen such an obvious homage to the old guy who became irrelevant about forty years ago? The son's connection to his mother as she pulls through a sexless marriage and then the open indifference or even hostility toward his poor father is (out of date) textbook. Anyway, at least they left the cigars and trains coming in an out of tunnels out of it. I can't say I was averse to this movie but at times it left me cold.

Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) is depressed after the death of his father Hal (Christopher Plummer). He meets a fascinating lovely woman Anna (Mélanie Laurent) and falls head over heels. He recalls how after the death of his mother Georgia (Mary Page Keller),his father reveals that he was gay all along. And he wants to do something about it before it's too late.

Writer/director Mike Mills has brought a lovely sweet little movie. There are subtle little jokes and a dog with his own subtitles. The romance is beautiful, Ewan McGregor delivers depressed without being depressing. I guess the 'talking' dog helped out. Christopher Plummer doesn't give a gay stereotype performance. He's gay and you can see the joy in his acting. All the performances are first rate.

In 2003, Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor) is a thirty-eight year-old art designer that draws sketches in an advertisement agency. He is a cold guy that was raised with respectful but loveless parents and lost his mother Georgia (Mary Page Keller) five years ago. He has just lost his father Hal Fields (Christopher Plummer) after a long treatment against cancer. Hal had come out of the closet and confessed to his son that he was gay after the death of his mother and soon he finds a boyfriend, Andy (Goran Visnjic).

When Oliver meets the French Anna (Mélanie Laurent) and they have a relationship. However, Oliver is a quitter and he lets Anna go despite his crush on her.

"Beginners" is a disappointing romantic comedy, with a pointless love story since the major concern seems to be to raise a rainbow flag. The charming and gorgeous Mélanie Laurent makes this film worthy with another great performance. However, her character is poorly developed and it is never clear whether she is a French actress or whatever. The dog Arthur is another attraction of this flick.

Ewan McGregor seems to be completely lost in the role of Oliver and this is certainly his worst performance ever. Hollywood seems to like actresses that perform whore and actors that perform gay characters; there is no other explanation for the hype and undeserved Oscar to Christopher Plummer. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Toda Forma de Amor" ("All the Shape of Love")