Philomena
A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of an Irish woman';s search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
15 August 1967, New York City, New York, USA
3 August 1986, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
10 May 1977, Beverley, East Yorkshire, England, UK
16 April 1984, Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
12 September 1974, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
June 02, 2016
So preoccupied with score-settling, it is frankly rather embarrassing, like that obnoxious relative at Thanksgiving dinner who insists on revisiting each and every perceived slight.
April 18, 2016
Like Coogan's reporter, you'll want to wrap your arms around Judi Dench's Philomena and take her home. You can't, of course - but Philomena will follow you there anyway.
November 28, 2013
Even as Philomena embraces the expected feel-good dynamics, it avoids taking the usual path and doesn't paint all of the "evil" nuns with the same brush.
June 28, 2014
Dench and Cooper could do this stuff in their sleep and keep us entertained, which they do, but it's the nuanced twists and turns in both the characters and the story that elevate the picture beyond the familiar.
November 27, 2013
At its core, this clever, wrenching, profound story underscores the tenacity of faith in the face of unfathomable cruelty.
December 10, 2013
It's smart and unsweetened.
November 27, 2013
Director Steven Frears deserves special mention. A lesser filmmaker could so easily have turned this project into mushy, sentimental junk. The tear-jerking moments here are heartfelt and real. It's the kind of filmmaking we see too little of today.
November 27, 2013
We wouldn't care about any of this if the performances were weak. But both actors find complexity and depth.
May 10, 2016
The movie is a bit of a puzzle coming from atheist co-writer Steve Coogan and the script grapples with these big questions of religion, class, and justice in a way that's far beyond the typical teary human-interest story.
April 23, 2014
I'd be a grouch to call the two leads anything but delightful, and they both stretch in directions you mightn't expect.
December 22, 2013
What at first seems formulaic comedy gains a deeper resonance as we see how they represent two responses to cruelty and injustice -- first outrage, and with time, eventually, forgiveness.
March 26, 2015
Dench gives a superb performance as a simple, trusting woman of faith.
