Ever since The Good Life I find it hard to resist anything with Richard Briers in it, so I gave Dad a try, expecting something Jacklemmonwaltermatthau-ish. But from the outset it's obvious that Dad is far more serious than that. O yes, there's a bit of humor every once in a while, but that's not what this story is about. It's - put very simply - about the reality of getting old. The loss of dignity, the loss of freedom, the loss of friends and loved ones. And it's about people who mean well and can do no good, because of the ugly circumstances.
The movie is not without it's faults: I think the way the staff and nurses of the nursing home were depicted as the bad guys was just a little bit too easy. But it also has some great acting, especially by Briers. And the ending? Well, in the end I think it just depicts what makes this movie so utterly depressing: there simply is no easy solution.
Watch it if you're ready for a bit of ugly truth.
