When death waits in the wings, many of us would like to hope that we can say our goodbyes on our terms, even if timing doesn’t necessarily suit us. But what happens when the circumstances don’t align with our wishes, either? Is it possible to arrange things so that we can say “the good goodbyes” – sentiments profoundly expressed in the song that plays over the closing credits – that we so dearly crave? That’s the challenge put to a middle class London family in the directorial debut from actress Kate Winslet. When family matriarch June Cheshire (Helen Mirren) suffers a setback in her bout with cancer shortly before Christmas (her favorite time of year), she undergoes emergency surgery to save her life. However, even though she survives the procedure, her prognosis is bleak, leaving her with little time to settle her affairs and enjoy whatever lies ahead. But, as someone who’s accustomed to dictating her own fate, June’s in no position to do so this time, leaving matters to her family to handle. And, despite wanting the best for June, for various reasons, they’re also not in the best frame of mind to take on such a difficult task. Such conditions thus call for everyone to work together for the best possible outcome. Their efforts are thus a cross between a devoted labor of love and a painfully daunting challenge, a scenario that puts tremendous pressure on June’s husband, Bernie (Timothy Spall), and her four children, Julia (Winslet), Molly (Andrea Riseborough), Helen (Toni Collette) and Connor (Johnny Flynn). Fortunately, they have help available to them through their partners and children, as well as an attentive and empathetic oncology nurse, Angel (Fisayo Akinade), who not only tends to the needs of his patient, but also to those of all her family members. Together, this finely assembled ensemble works the story with grace, undeniable authenticity and heartfelt emotion (keep those hankies handy), despite a thinly drawn and at times clichéd narrative. The filmmaker toils mightily to make this material look better than it actually is and, truthfully, she succeeds quite capably in a number of segments. However, an underdeveloped back story, incomplete character development, occasionally trite story threads and unsuccessful attempts at comic relief that work only about half of the time keep this picture from fully living up to its potential. It’s encouraging to see that Winslet indeed possesses genuine talent behind the camera, and it’s a good bet she’s got more to show on this front. But, to truly succeed, she needs better material to work with to let those abilities shine. Let’s hope she gets that opportunity again sometime in a better vehicle to show off what she can do.
