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| LIFE IS SWEET (1990) | |
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The story focuses on a family that lives in
the outskirts of London where they try to make the most of the life.
Andy, the father, works as a supervisor for a large kitchen and he hates his job.
Andy is a dreamer that often does not get things done, but always starts countless new tasks as he has aspirations to start something new.
The mother, Wendy, works as a clerk in a small boutique that sells children’s clothing and she teaches physical education in an elementary school.
Through a friend of the family she gets a night job as a waitress in a French gourmet restaurant in order to help the friend to get back on his feet.
Wendy and Andy do what they can to make life tolerable and enjoyable. They make the most of the ups and laugh at the downs. Together Andy and Wendy have raised a pair of twins that are now twenty-something, Natalie and Nicola. The positive Natalie is a hard working plumber who has inherited her hard working attitude from her mother, and she acquired her father’s visionary skills as she aspires to go to the United States. Nicole is the opposite of Natalie as she is exceedingly pessimistic, introspective, bulimic, nervous, depressed, and unemployed. Wendy and Andy’s daughters, friends, and self-imposed friends brings them joy and misery. Together they display an intriguing resilience to deal with the issues that trouble them through a positive, loving, and sometimes joking attitude. Their knowledge of life is great as they do not worry over things they cannot control, but they are fully aware that they can control their own feelings towards life whether it is good or bad. Natalie and Nicole become an allegorical example for the good and bad times as they are opposites, and the parents embrace both. Life is Sweet brings “life” to the audience through the family that experiences both ups and downs. Mike Leigh's creative direction brings the cast together to rehearse before establishing the script. These rehearsals often contain improvisation and suggestions from the cast which results in a unique cinematic experience with characters offering great depth. Leigh truly displays skill and ambition to work in a team atmosphere in order to bring out the absolute best from each individual. The outcome from the teamwork is an excellent cinematic experience as it feels both genuine and it offers some valuable lessons to the audience. |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 9/8/2004 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
