Sometimes Always Never

On the surface, this strange film could leave you thinking that not much actually happened... but it's the idiosyncratic emotional journey, expertly portrayed by Nighy and the ensemble, rather than the destination that sticks with you.

I ended up enjoying Sometimes Always Never a heck of a lot. It made me happy.

What the film does sustain, and quite remarkably, considering its serious theme, is a delicately comic tone. That's due in large measure to the screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

We remain engaged due to quiet performances made all the more impressive by how they cut through such noisy visual style.

It has a stylized, low-key eccentricity... Nighy is just fantastic.

One of those comedies that teeters on the edge of being dark, irredeemable, bitter, and funny... But it's an enjoyable film.

It doesn’t take any huge swings or break any molds, but that just further contributes to its feeling of comfort and coziness. It’s essentially the film equivalent of a favorite old sweater.

A small film about big topics that balances an overarching feel of sorrow with heavy doses of whimsy. Eloquent both visually and emotionally, it speaks volumes about heartbreak even when the characters can't quite find the words to do so themselves.

It's a film filled with laughter and, most importantly, love and forgiveness, as this father-son pair search for the meaning in their lives and begin to heal.

This film is such a strange bird I cannot predict what a viewer's reaction might be, but I think it is worth watching and finding out for yourself.