A-

I loved it. One of the best films I have sen this year so far. A bit too sentimental, yes and of course predictable, but Redgrave and particularly Stamp knock it out of the ballpark with two very touching turns. In a just world, Stamp would be up for Oscar consideration.

This is a film where a simple question comes into play: can you forgive its obvious, super sentimental design and focus upon its chief pleasures? In the vein of Calendar Girls, Saving Grace, and other crowd pleasing English imports, its final destination is never hard to predict as it charts the spiritual redemption of a biting, distant curmudgeon in suburban England as he responds to his beloved wife's cancer and becomes involved almost against his will with her chorus at a local civic center. The comic side is represented by the old-timers performing unexpected songs by the B-52's and Motörhead, and at times there is a slight, unintended tension within the musical sequences: are we just enjoying the songs alongside them or are we also cruel spectators (this tension is at the fore in particular when several of them don absurd glam-metal wigs to sing "Ace of Spades")? On the bright side, however, the film gives veteran Terence Stamp a (rarer than it should be) lead dramatic role, and he shines bright, breathing complicated grit and life into his taciturn role, maintaining our fascination and concern even when his character acts in borderline monstrous ways to the people around him. And his third-act solo performance of "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)," one of Billy Joel's final pop hits, is close to awe-inspiring in its grace and honesty. Gemma Arterton is a bright and welcome presence, too, even though her angelic, dutiful character, a schoolteacher who organizes the chorus for seniors and finds ample time to coax Stamp's grouch out of his ice cold shell, is thinly conceived and may strain credulity. On the whole, Unfinished Song (or Song for Marion abroad) won my heart and lifted my spirit due to the strength of its central performances, even if a certain part of my brain was always aware of the extreme level of mechanized heart-string manipulation at play.

B

Oh this was wonderful. I enjoyed it so much. Gemma Arterton is out-of-this-world cute here and Terence Stamp is just perfect. He nailed it and gave one of my favorite performances from last year.