Life Is Sweet

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Mike Leigh's situation comedy about a lower middle-class family in the London suburbs is a slice-of-life chronicle that subtly reveals the pain and rage underneath the surface of day-to-day conventions. The youngish parents, Wendy Alison Steadman and Andy Jim Broadbent live with their 20-something twin daughters, Nicola Jane Horrocks and Natalie Claire Skinner. Natalie, a plumber's assistant, is clean-cut and forever looks on the bright side of life. Nicola, who is unemployed, has nothing but contempt for ...
See more details below
This VHS is Not Available through BN.com
See All Options

More About This Product

Overview

Mike Leigh's situation comedy about a lower middle-class family in the London suburbs is a slice-of-life chronicle that subtly reveals the pain and rage underneath the surface of day-to-day conventions. The youngish parents, Wendy Alison Steadman and Andy Jim Broadbent live with their 20-something twin daughters, Nicola Jane Horrocks and Natalie Claire Skinner. Natalie, a plumber's assistant, is clean-cut and forever looks on the bright side of life. Nicola, who is unemployed, has nothing but contempt for conventionality. As the daughters deal with the obsessively sunny Wendy and the lackadaisical Andy, and confront a succession of ne'er-do-well friends and neighbors, a darker picture is painted of this normal family -- particularly Nicola, who is convinced she is fat and ugly despite her emaciated appearance, with Natalie being a constant rebuke to her.
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola
"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.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 1/1/1998
  • UPC: 017153234930
  • Original Release: 1990

    • Rating:

  • Source: Republic Pictures
  • Format: VHS

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Alison Steadman Wendy
Jim Broadbent Andy
Timothy Spall Aubrey
Claire Skinner Natalie
Jane Horrocks Nicola
David Thewlis Nicola's Lover
Moya Brady Paula
Stephen Rea Patsy
David Neilson Steve
Jack Thorpe Baker Nigel
Harriet Thorpe Customer
Technical Credits
Mike Leigh Director, Screenwriter
Sophie Becher Art Director
Simon Channing-Williams Producer
Alison Chitty Production Designer
Jon Gregory Editor
Lindy Hemming Costumes/Costume Designer
Dick Pope Cinematographer
Rachel Portman Score Composer
Carolyn Walsh Makeup
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously