now-watching:“Joe Maddison’s War” (2010), dir. Patrick CollertonOkay, I just watched this, and it is

now-watching:“Joe Maddison’s War” (2010), dir. Patrick CollertonOkay, I just watched this, and it is rather delightful. It is also a bit cheesy. But it is charming, and gentle… very much with “Millions Like Us,” “In Which We Serve,” and “This Happy Breed” in its lineage. It stars Kevin Whately (adorable man) as Joe Maddison, a Tyneside dockworker who is inarticulate and earnest and has a tender friendship with Robson Green, an irreverent and musically-inclined Tyneside dockworker. (Parenthetically: I was more or less indifferent to Robson Green as action hero, but I am 200% here for this second act of his career that is all about nuanced and emotionally rich male friendships. A++.) They have another buddy who is a passionate Communist, constantly trying to organize the revolt of the international worker, with moderate success. Derek Jacobi gives a lovely turn as the pharmacist who is Major of the Home Guard, for which our protagonists volunteer with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The other half of the drama revolves around Maddison’s home life, which undergoes both predictable and unexpected upheavals in the aftermath of his daughter’s marriage and the enlistment of his son and son-in-law. Accompanied by newsreels, the film tracks its protagonists from the outbreak of war to its conclusion. Whately’s face-acting is, as ever, heartbreaking and impeccable. Recommended if you like gentle emotional sagas, wry banter, and/or Kevin Whately. @lucyemers, @kivrin, @teacupboats, and @britishdetectives, you all seem like likely suspects. -- source link

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