Second Best (1994)

Graham Holt is a lonely middle-aged man who runs a postal substation in a small village in England. He decides to adopt a son. James is the troubled youth he gets with the assistance of ... See full summary »

Director:

Chris Menges

Writers:

David Cook (novel), David Cook (screenplay)

Stars:

William Hurt, Nathan Yapp, Keith Allen

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Hurt	...	Graham Holt
Nathan Yapp	...	Jimmy
Keith Allen	...	John
Chris Cleary Miles	...	James
Doris Irving	...	Adoption Shop Volunteer
James Warrior	...	Senior Social Worker
Jane Horrocks	...	Debbie
Alfred Lynch	...	Edward
Rachel Freeman	...	Elsie
Gus Troakes	...	Jeffo
Mossie Smith	...	Lynn
Martin Troakes	...	Colin
Shaun Dingwall	...	Graham, age 20
Paul Wilson	...	Colin, age 20
Alan Cumming	...	Bernard

Storyline

Graham Holt is a lonely middle-aged man who runs a postal substation in a small village in England. He decides to adopt a son. James is the troubled youth he gets with the assistance of social worker Debbie. James has been in an orphanage for years since his mother committed suicide. He adores his outlaw father John, sent to prison not long after the mother's death. Can James learn to love Graham? Can Graham settle for being second best?

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Plot Keywords:

village | social worker | suicide | orphanage | violence | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Difícil elección

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$86,115 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcor Films, Fron Film Production, Regency Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last film of Alfred Lynch.

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Quotes

James: What sort of things did you do when you were my age?
Graham Holt: I kept my head down, I suppose. Nothing very exciting.
James: [points to his life-story book] Is what's in there exciting?
Graham Holt: [pauses, turns pages] It's more disturbing than exciting.
James: That's what they say I am. Disturbed.
Graham Holt: What do you say?

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Soundtracks

"Imagination"
Written and Performed by Simon Boswell
Published by Sunfun Ltd.

User Reviews

An excellent movie

I rarely write reviews for movies. And having seen the other excellent reviews, mine is hardly needed. But I stumbled across this movie and felt I had to comment on it.

This is an excellent movie with wonderful acting, directing, writing, screen play, and filming. I saw the last 2/3 of the movie by accident and could not tear myself away from it.

William Hurt and the boy actor (sorry - forgot the name) are thrown together by life's accidents and develop bonds for one another. The rough edges on each character are worn smooth as each accommodates the other and learns of the other's trials and humanity. The acting is superb and rarely gets in the way of the content - more to the point, the acting complements the story well.

But what makes the movie special is the character development. The writing, directing, and screen play successfully convey the existential experiences of the actors as they develop and react to one another.

A good song, a good poem, a good book - are made special if they are accessible - if they evoke within you the ring of truth and personal history. This movie communicated with me extremely well on a personal basis, on many plans at the same time. Every element of this film was well crafted. The movie is cerebral and touching - with very few rough edges. I couldn't recommend it more highly for an adult audience.