Mr. Morgan's Last Love

If you fancy a truly UPLIFTING romantic movie in which two age-gaped individuals are attracted to one another, I dare you to watch the 70’s black comedy Harold & Maude - if only for its sheer audacity and quirkiness. As for Mr. Morgan’s Last Love: the fact that Sandra Nettelbeck is an award-winning director does little to resurrect this lacklustre affair, au contraire, it has all the effect of a sedative!

Enter the ageing and well off Mr.Morgan (Sir Michael Caine) of the film’s title, a former philosophy teacher whose wife recently succumbed to cancer and leaves him shattered and lonely in their swell Parisian apartment – not made easier by the fact that his son, his daughter in law and his grandchildren won’t be coming for a holiday. Loneliness prevails, until a chance encounter brings him together with young and attractive dance teacher Pauline (Clémence Poésy), who for whatever the reason takes an immediate liking to him and, concerned about his age (or is it fragility?) offers to walk him home (this would never happen in ultra-busy London). Before long, a tender relationship develops between the two, and in between outings and lunches he caringly corrects her flawed English (although despite years of living in Paris, Mr. Morgan barely speaks a word of French himself – quel scandale!). Well, never mind Mr. Morgan not speaking French. Caine’s character in the film is meant to be American, and his American accent is about as brilliant as Pauline’s English, if you’re catching my drift!

Well! Michael Caine’s seriously dodgy American accent is nothing compared to the overall dreariness this bittersweet drama has to offer. Nothing much happens between Pauline and Matthew Morgan except unfulfilled tenderness (well, he is getting on a bit), until the old romantic – forever in flashback conversations with his beloved and deceased wife Jane – decides to bump himself off with an overdose of sleeping tablets. Fortunately (or unfortunately) he gets found by the maid and wakes up in hospital, where his son Miles (Justin Morgan – a real American) soon makes an unpleasant visit, having just arrived from the US, and with equally bitchy wife Karen (Gillian Anderson) in tow. What’ya know, Karen gets kicked out of the hospital for smoking. Yes, she’s that much of an uncaring bitch! As if things couldn’t get worse, Miles almost immediately has a run-in with the concerned and caring Pauline, whom he accuses of being little else than a ‘gold digger’. He should talk!

Well! After several squabbles more between dad and son, son and dad’s new best friend, husband and wife, dad and ghost of his dead wife… not much exciting stuff happens but feel free to find out for yourself… Or perhaps your grandpa might find this sentimental claptrap more interesting and exciting, though I doubt it. Yawn!