When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007)
"And When Did You Last See Your Father?" (original title)

The story of a son's conflicting memories of his dying father.

Director:

Anand Tucker

Writers:

David Nicholls (screenplay), Blake Morrison (book)

Stars:

Bradley Johnson, Jim Broadbent, Juliet Stevenson

1 win & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bradley Johnson	...	Blake (Child)
Jim Broadbent	...	Arthur
Juliet Stevenson	...	Kim
Alannah Barlow	...	Gillian (Child)
Chris Middleton	...	Racing Steward (as Christopher Middleton)
Colin Firth	...	Blake
Gina McKee	...	Kathy
Elliot Avery	...	Peter
Rhiannon Howden	...	Sophie
Tom Butcher	...	Dr. Taggart
Claire Skinner	...	Gillian
Sarah Lancashire	...	Beaty
Naomi Allisstone	...	Josie
Matthew Beard	...	Blake (Teen)
Tara Berwin	...	Gillian (Teen)

Storyline

The writer Blake Morrison has a non-resolved relationship with his bragger and wolf father Arthur Morrison. However, when he is diagnosed with a terminal intestine cancer, Blake leaves his wife and children and travel to the village where he spent his childhood and adolescence to help his mother and his sister to take care of Arthur along his last days. The location brings recollections of his problematic relationship with his father.

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Plot Keywords:

death | cancer | time | hospital | love | 

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Taglines:

A parent and a child. The past and the present. Memories and secrets. Can you know someone for a lifetime.... and not know them at all? The life of a father. Through the journey of a son.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, thematic material and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United Kingdom] Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

UK Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2007 (UK)

Also Known As:

When Did You Last See Your Father?

Filming Locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$39,210 (USA) (6 June 2008)

Gross:

$1,071,240 (USA) (17 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, UK Film Council, EM Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Matthew Beard wore brown coloured contact lenses in order to look more like Colin Firth.

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Quotes

Sandra: You should never ever wish anyone dead. What if it became true?

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Connections

References Stairway to Heaven (1946)

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Soundtracks

"Don't Ever Change"
Written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin
Screen Gems - EMI Music Publishing Litd
Performed by The Crickets
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd

User Reviews

How to take a familiar subject and make a superb film from it

This is a beautifully written, well acted but above all wonderfully directed film looking at a man who learns about himself by finding out about his father. Colin Firth plays a real writer who wrote an auto-biographical novel about his relationship with his father played by Jim Broadbent. It's not a spoiler to say that the father is dying because that diagnosis is given very early on. While the family waits for him to die, events take Firth's memories effortlessly through his past showing him played very well by young actors at 8 and 17.

The events are funny and moving but restrained within a believable reality. Firth learns to live with his father's behaviour as we see that he isn't perfect either. It's positive about life without being sentimental, terrific film.