Review of Life Is Sweet (1991) by James G — 23 Dec 2007

One of Mike Leigh's best films, a sympathetic but unsentimental portrayal of a troubled but otherwise perfectly average family coping with day-to-day life, be it a mad scheme to restore an old snack van, their right-on teenage daughter's secret struggle with bulimia, or a disastrous opening night at a French restaurant.

The calibre of the cast speaks for itself, features some of Britain's finest actors giving beautifully realised naturalistic performances so real you feel you know them. Alison Steadman is so warm and sympathetic and tolerant as the family's mother hen, one wonders if this is what Beverely from "Abigail's Party" would be like without her nouveau riche affectations and somewhat mellowed after Laurence's death.