'Philomena' DVD Review: An Engaging Dramedy With Great Performances

Philomena is the true story of an Irish woman in pursuit of finding her long lost child.

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) plays an elderly woman who lives each day wondering about what happened to her son. Philomena got pregnant as a teenager, was disowned by her family and was forced to take refuge in a convent where she and her son, Anthony (Harrison D'Ampney), were given a place to live. When Anthony is suddenly taken away from Philomena by the nuns of the convent and given up to another family for adoption, Philomena has no idea what happened to her son and is never allowed to obtain any information on his whereabouts. Decades later, she is still left in the dark without any idea of what became of her son.

Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is a journalist who formerly worked for BBC before a scandal caused him to lose his job and is starting to question his standing in life. When Martin is given the opportunity to help Philomena and write a story about her search for her son, he is reluctant at first. He is working on a project, a book, about Russian history, a line that Martin tells many times throughout the movie and becomes a running joke – “nobody cares about Russian history.” Philomena’s story, however, ends up being much more than he bargained for.

Dench and Coogan both give brilliant performances; their chemistry is irresistible. Philomena's sweet, bubbly personality couples perfectly with Martin's pessimism, which can be stark at times. At the same time, Martin's witty sarcasm delivers a perfect amount of humor, especially in addition to Philomena's occasional goofiness. Their relationship starts as nothing more than reporter and subject, but throughout their journey transforms into something far more than that. They don't understand each other, but they care for each other greatly by the time they have completed their quest.

This movie deserves 4.5 out of 5 stars because it is very entertaining. It will pull on your heartstrings and just when it seems too cruel, it will surprise you and have you rolling on the floor laughing.

The special features include an exclusive talk with both Judi Dench and Steve Coogan as well as an inside look at the story behind the real Philomena Lee and her pursuit of the truth about her son. The DVD also includes commentary from Steve Coogan and screenwriter Jeff Pope.

Philomena is rated PG-13 and is available on DVD.

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