When it comes to low key cutesy indie films, "Beginners" is in the same vein as most any Wes Anderson flick only not anywhere near as charming. Arthouse films give off a certain aura of high brow sophistication that is unique to the genre, a quality that in fact irks me if not done right. Unfortunately, "Beginners" is too trendy for its own good that it just comes off as blasé.
Of course that is just my own cynical self speaking, because realistically this would make a perfect date night movie. It's painfully adorable and self-serving in pretty much every way, enough so to make the ladies swoon while the guys can be made to look sensitive for sitting through it. There's plenty of gorgeous eye candy to go around with Ewan McGregor (Oliver) and Mélanie Laurent (Anna) in the lead roles, and if humans aren't your thing there's an adograble Jack Russell Terrier named Arthur to help tide you over. Being a JRT owner myself, I could really relate to the separation anxiety and even the voiceless dialogue expressed by the dog. Easily the best part of the film for me.
Another shining beacon for the film is Christopher Plummer as Oliver's 75 year old father Hal who recently has come out of the closet. The character of Hal is actually mirrored after director Mike Mills' own father, and coincidentally is the main inspiration behind the film. Upon watching the special features included with the DVD, it's apparent that nearly every character even the dog is based loosely off of some aspect in Mills' life. As far as the film goes, Plummer stole the show for me, serving as a much needed anchor of comedic relief to an otherwise bland storyline. The interactions behind Oliver and Anna are so drab and vapid, that the film ends up losing any and all poignant qualities. Ultimately, there are much better films in the story-about-nothing genre, but "Beginners" won't disappoint it's target audience.
The DVD comes stacked with great extras including not only a short "making of" film but also a director's commentary featuring Mike Mills himself. I grew to appreciate the film a little more having better understood where Mills was coming from and the vision he had for "Beginners". Unfortunately, I still found that vision to be all shades of boring pretentiousness.