Sometimes a film can have a great cast attached, a good script and a good director and still come up short. For a good example of that see this film.It's not bad by any means, it just doesn't achieve it's potential. I thought Colin Firth did well, ditto Jim Broadbent, but there is too slow a pace, and too much wasted dialogue for this film to do a lot for me sadly.It's a shame because it should have been great

Coming on the same path of films like "Dad" (1989) and "I Never Sang to My Father" (1970), Anand Tucker's film "When Did You Last See Your Father?" is another good example of a picture about a man examining his life and father's life after his father's illness and realizing that he'll no longer be living and the way he must deal with him, a man he didn't liked much for multiple reasons.Colin Firth plays Blake, the son in his adult days as a writer, remembering his childhood and teenage years (played brilliantly by Matthew Beard) with his father (Jim Broadbent) traveling, or in moments with his family where in one way or another his sportive dad always make fun of him to others, and his affair with other women, which is the cause of this bitterness with his father since Blake adored his mother (Juliet Stevenson) so much. Will Blake leave this past behind and try to know better what his father is or he'll keep the same feeling even now that he's recollecting all this memories about his life? The movie displays a enormous sense of emotion, but nothing so tear jacker but that depends on your view of life or movies and your personal experiences. While the film was more interesting in portraying Blake in his teen years where we know why he became the man we know, in his adult moments it wasn't too much interesting, although the performances were great. I expected something more dramatic in those moments, just like the duel Gene Hackman and Melvyn Douglas had in "I Never Sang to My Father"; Blake could have a more face to face moment where he exposes himself to his father of why he didn't liked him and the impressions of the father on Blake too, this is missing and in terms of films it could have reach a higher note, a bright difference that would make of "When Did You Last See Your Father?" a more memorable experience. It has some clichés of the genre and even with that it succeeds in being a good film with some funny parts (the young Blake having sex with his maid and hiding her in the bedroom in what they called 'the sex patrol' made by the father every time he entered the room) and well constructed dialogs. Firth, Broadbent, Stevenson are all great in scene, but Matthew Beard is the key figure here, a rare young talented actor in the role of Blake, a teenager more interested in his books than in his father and other amusements. For those who can recall by the name he plays Carey Mulligan's friend Graham in "An Education", the one who's interested in her all the time but she doesn't care much about him, and as a coincidence she's also in this film in a bit part.I liked it, enjoyed a lot, even though it could have been more instigating story or try to present something I haven't seen it. But everything presented here made of "When Did You Last See Your Father?" a very positive and reflective film. 8/10

This reflective character-driven drama was a truly amazing experience from beginning to end. The story centers on Blake Morrison, a writer, poet and critic who learns that his father has been struck by cancer and reunites with him at his deathbed in his Yorkshire home where Blake's mother and sister watches over him. Blake's reunion with his father whom he has not seen in many years brings back a string of memories from pivotal moments in their relationship, which through English director Anand Tucker's flashback scenes where the harmonic cinematography by Howard Atherton stands out, gives a versatile depiction of their estranged though loving kinship.This British-Irish co-production which is based on a memoir from 1993 by Blake Morrison and written by English novelist and screenwriter David Nicholls, is a perceptive story about life, death and everything in-between and is crafted by it's non-linear narrative and the sterling performances from an overall outstanding cast lead by Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent.

One of the better movies of the last couple years, "When Did you Last See Your Father" is an engrossing look at a Father/Son relationship with superb narration from Colin Firth who also stars in the movie. At times the pacing slows, but the filmmakers more than make up for it with a grand-slam ending 10-12 min or so, (spoiler) where we the audience can feel the protagonists confusion melt away into clarity of bereavement and grieving. For me, some decent movies out there like this one get lifted up by truly great or cathartic scenes. Ones which open a flood-gate of empathy. Mathew Beard and Jim Broadbent also are quite good. Recommended Drama.