Beginners

Beginners provides hope to those who want to turn over a new leaf and start from scratch again. That is the moral here as well. It's never to late to start over. Whether you're in your mid-thirties looking for a serious relationship, or an elderly man who has finally exited the closet, it's never to late to begin a new cycle.
Here is a movie with great characters played by marvelous character actors, and a script by Mike Mills that is based off of his own life. Mills' mother died of brain cancer in 1999 and his father came out of the closet a week after her death, despite having being married for forty-four years. The Mills character is portrayed by a stellar Ewan McGregor, a thirty-ish man by the name of Oliver. Oliver has a fear of commitment when he is in a relationship, and he lives a modest life in a small house with his more-than-meets-the-eye Jack Russell Terrier. After Oliver's parents die, this is what he resorts to. The film has a very nonlinear narrative since the film is composed of flashbacks from three stages in his life. The first is his childhood, the second is shortly after his father's proclaimed homosexuality, and the third is current time when he is dating the lovely and beautiful Anna (Laurent).
After Oliver's mother's death, his father Hal (Plummer) announces he is gay and wants to start dating in his own field. Oliver is stunned that his father managed to shelter the fact from his mother and himself for so long, but is optimistic about his future.
Probably one of the biggest show-stealing dogs in history is the one who accompanies Oliver for much of the film set in present time. He's not one of those cliché, kiddie-movie dogs that speak entirely in puns and pop culture jokes. Oliver's dog communicates in witty, cleverly placed subtitles that add flavor to the film's sentimentality. He is probably one of the best dog actors I've seen since Uggie in The Artist.
Beginners could've easily been a recipe for self indulgence, false sentimentality, and heavy-handedness since this is a real life story from a fairly new director. However, everything is taken in a subtle, respectable manner. Emotions aren't blunt and too obvious,the script suffices even during some of the shaky romantic scenes, and I believe it only has one considerable flaw. That flaw is that Christopher Plummer's character's homosexuality is a bit too obvious. I'm not saying he overacts, but the film dances around the sole fact too much. It seems like it tries to be daring by continuing to spell it out. Yet it doesn't bring down the gem the film really is.
This isn't a deep drama, but it doesn't feel too cutesy. The film erects characters that are very likable and have ambition to be happier and wind up doing all in their power to achieve it. Both Hal and Oliver find very courteous and loyal partners in their efforts and everything ends rather smoothly. Beginners clings on to an undying sense of hopefulness and creativity from the moment it begins, and doesn't let go even when the chips are down. It's a seriously kind-hearted film.
NOTE: Why the R rating? Most likely because the MPAA feels that since it's a movie dealing with the subject of homosexuality that young people should be sheltered from it. When in reality, many teenagers are homophobic and these are the kinds of films they should see.