Performance of the Month: Ewan McGregor in “Beginners” (2011)

Ewan McGregor (and Cosmo) in a scene from "Beginners" (2011)

From everything I’ve heard and read about the Mike Mills film “Beginners”, I was only familiar with the portion of the film that deals with Christopher Plummer’s character, Hal, an elderly gentleman who comes out of the close after the death of his wife of 40-something years.  As Hal, Christopher Plummer has been picking up awards hand over fist (no pun intended) and is a front runner to win the Oscar as well.  I mean to take nothing away from Plummer, a veteran actor who’s been appearing in films for about half a century (you might remember him as the stiff-backed Baron Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music”), or his performance here, which I consider more an interesting one  than a great one.  Having said that, I feel that the exceptional work by Ewan McGregor in the lead role of Hal’s son Oliver has been grossly overlooked by the entities and groups that award film excellence.

In as much as the film is about Hal finding and embracing his true nature late in life, the meat of the story (again, no pun intended) concerns Oliver and his beginnings to form a loving relationship of his own.  We are introduced to Oliver as he is dealing with Hal’s recent death, and the fact that he does not have a significant other in his life, except for his late father’s dog Arthur (played charmingly by a dog named Cosmo, who actually has subtitled dialogue representing his thoughts in the film).  Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it works here.

Oliver is clearly depressed; it shows in his dialogue, his actions, his work, everywhere.  Some friends make an effort to take him to a party, but his attachment to Arthur is so strong he must take the dog with him.  Here, he meets a pretty young actress named Anna (Melanie Laurent, who was so memorable in Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” a few years back) who has laryngitis and can only communicate at the party by writing on a notepad.  In a romantic comedy, this would be a wonderful ‘meet-cute’ device, but in this drama, it is an intriguing introduction for a character that we meet in stages.  Like Oliver, we can appreciate Anna’s beauty (Laurent is indeed a beautiful actress), her smarts and quick wit.  Only later, when she is in full voice, can the audience (and Oliver) truly come to appreciate the whole picture of the character.

McGregor, who positively glowed with energy and life in 2002’s “Moulin Rouge” sinks down inside the clothes and skin of his character here, holding on to the frayed connection with his deceased parents as evidenced by the boxes of their belongings still in his house, and his bonding with Arthur.  Flashing back to the period when Hal came out, Oliver is not really surprised by his father’s announcement, but is taken aback with the excitement and abandon that the older man relishes his newfound freedom as a gay man.  Oliver stands in the background much of the time, watching as Hal makes a new circle of friends, becomes politically and socially active, and gets a significantly younger boyfriend (Goran Visnjic as Andy; the case of a good, usually intense actor playing what is essentially a throwaway role).

So, see “Beginners” and admire the work of Plummer, but be really impressed by the work of McGregor.  And Cosmo, the dog.