Hampstead film review

I went to see this with my friend Karen at the Leeds/Bradford Odeon.

IMDB says: An American widow finds unexpected love with a man living wild on Hampstead Heath when they take on the developers who want to destroy his home.



In this Joel Hopkins (The Love Punch, Last Chance Harvey) directed and Robert Festinger (Stars in Shorts, Trust) written film, Brendan Gleeson (Gangs of New York, Edge of Tomorrow) stars as Donald Horner, a man who lives in a makeshift house on Hampstead Heath who is befriended by an American widow, Emily Walters played by Diane Keaton (Father of the Bride, The First Wives Club).  She is in financial difficulties and urged by both her son Philip (James Norton: Belle, TVs Happy Valley and Grantchester) and friend Fiona (Lesley Manville: Maleficent, Vera Drake) to consult an accountant, she agrees to meet with James Smythe (Jason Watkins: TVs Taboo and Being Human) and to hand out flyers about Fiona's husbands property development and this is when she meets Donald.  Drumming up help from some local activists (Hugh Skinner: Les Miserables, TVs W1A), she sorts out a lawyer (Adeel Akhtar: The Dictator, Four Lions) to fight his eviction notice.



With a very human story, this drama based on true events is full of sadness, romance and comedy and the workings of society.  From an ostracised 'homeless' man to a widow trying to live up to social expectations we see how lifestyles can so easily be turned from successful to difficult and how this can be judged by others.  Both main characters have problems and their pride is preventing them from accepting help yet they ultimately realise that they have to be true to themselves and their real friends in order to move on with their lives.

Norton is woefully underused and the music score is far too elevator, but the cinematography makes up for this.  There is a great turn by Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Viceroy's House) as the judge and although there is a strange moment where Emily, the widow, begins to do things totally out of character, the film has a well-paced gentle if predictable plot with fine acting.  The minor characters do seem to be a tad one-dimensional but there is something satisfying about these two outsiders taking on the establishment and winning.



Trivia: Inspired and based upon by the true story of the 'Hampstead Hermit', Harry Hallowes.  A part of the film features a cottage in picturesque Hambledon and a large proportion of that village was owned by the WH Smith family.

Easy watching.                                                                                     5/10

#Hampstead #DianeKeaton #Brendan Gleeson #LesleyManville #JamesNorton #Odeon #film