Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth are well-cast (and excellent as usual) portraying a father and son in the latter portion of their days together. The blustery old father has been diagnosed with cancer and has only a short time left to live, causing his son--who was always embarrassed of his dad's cheating and running around--to reflect on their times together. No new insights or observations into the eternal tug-of-war that goes on between parent and child, though it is a well-accomplished, finely-tuned drama. The flashbacks are a bit of a nuisance after a time, as one longs for more insight into the present. Firth, who always seems to be photographed from behind a piece of furniture or a banister, is controlled and subdued while Broadbent gets the juicier part of his showboating elder, the kind of man who expects applause for his rampant storytelling and joshing and his stinging criticism. Watchable film is occasionally incisive with uncomfortable truths, and is undoubtedly moving by the finish, though it isn't a big night at the movies. ** from ****