PeterM27 Review of The View from Greenhaven

The View from Greenhaven (2008)

Disappointing, given the acting talent on show

[3/10 · 23 January 2021]

Although there is a lot of acting talent in this dramedy, it is a plodding effort with little spark. Chris Haywood plays a grumpy old retired man who spends most of his time in his shed; and Wendy Hughes (in her last film) is his long-suffering wife, unfulfilled but with little idea of what to do about it. Their daughter and son-in-law (Susan Prior and Russell Dykstra) take the mother's side, and try to inject a bit of spark into their lives, but things go wrong when the mystery train goes to Greenhaven. It's all a bit flat with annoying characters, and dull dialogue, and too many obvious, knowing looks. Wendy Hughes' character is particularly uninteresting, a disappointing end to a good career. Chris Haywood tries his best, but he isn't given much to work with. Only the motor cycle sequence at the end adds a little interest to the story, but even this is very clumsy and unconvincing. Too serious for a comedy and too dull for a drama, though some critics seemed to like it.