Good vibrations for two old dears
Grace and Frankie
Three seasons — season three available from Friday You possibly didn’t expect a series about elderly women to push the taste envelope, but those who enjoyed the first two series of Grace and Frankie know that the writing does tend to go there. Right down there in fact: This third season begins with Frankie (Lily Tomlin) and Grace (Jane Fonda) having a difficult time getting their vibrator business off the ground. “We make vibrators, specifically for older women, that take into account their arthritis,” says Grace to a sceptical bank official. “Tender vaginal tissue,” adds Frankie, but no luck on getting that loan. Meanwhile, their ex-husbands, who both realised they were gay and then got together, have settled into their new home. Tomlin and Fonda have a warm real-life friendship that really shines through these performances. The husbands’ storyline, while certainly tended to and nicely played, is not really the point — it’s the device, rather, that launches the women into close mutual orbit, that gives them a reason to console and collaborate despite their hard-won wisdom and differences.
The Most Hated Woman in America (2017)
Available from Friday In 1964, the iconic Life magazine dubbed Madalyn Murray O’Hair “the most hated woman in America”, a label which she quite extraordinarily got just for being an outspoken atheist. This documentary, directed by Tommy O’Haver, appropriates that label, reminding viewers of a controversial figure whom subsequent generations take for granted, and few bother to denigrate today. It was Madalyn who fought to remove the stigma from disbelief, who founded American Atheists, and who won a landmark Supreme Court case banning mandatory Bible readings in public schools — all of which factors into a biopic that chooses to focus primarily on the sordid details of her demise. It’s a bit tabloid-y at times, but Melissa Leo in the title role is incredible, particularly in the scenes where she stands up to unhinged zealots — cocking a snook at their beliefs by telling them to “go to hell”. Not quite as good as a cinema release, but also a bit stronger than your average television movie.
Be Here Now: The Andy Whitfield Story
Available now The title might make this sound like a sentimental television movie, but instead this is an extraordinarily moving, deeply personal, filmed diary of late Spartacus star Andy Whitfield’s battle with cancer. The Welsh actor had been in remission from early stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but just prior to starting the second season of a sword-and-sandal series, a routine insurance scan revealed a subset of cancerous cells that forced him to put his career on hold as he underwent an aggressive, but ultimately unsuccessful, new round of treatments. The struggles he undergoes are psychological as much as physical, with he and his wife trading their usual bantering conversations for resilient contemplation. This film accurately portrays the scalp-pickling terror of cancer and its poignancy is increased by the knowledge that Andy ultimately dies from the illness. He starts the battle as a sort of low-grade celebrity superhero mode, but he finds greater strength in frailty and acceptance; the even more heroic pose of allowing himself to be human.
The Young Offenders (2016) Available now
In 2007, a ship carrying one-and-a-half tonnes of cocaine ran into trouble off Cork, leading to the biggest drugs seizure in Irish history. The incident might have inspired a Narcos-style crime drama. But happily, first-time feature director Peter Foott is less concerned with the terrible realities of drug-running than he is with using the incident as a springboard for a witty and heartfelt crime comedy. Conor (Alex Murphy) and Jock (Chris Walley) are loveable losers, scruffy teens whose main interests are smoking fags, stealing bikes and dreaming of a better future. So when news comes of 61 bales of cocaine floating off the nearby coast, they set out to claim their fortune. Needless to say, the mission doesn’t go to plan. There’s nothing particularly earth shattering about The Young Offenders. The comedy can be a bit broad, and the indie soundtrack sometimes grates (Where’s Me Jumper!). But the dialogue’s great and the performances really lift it. A lovely charmer of a film.