2021 SLEEPERS

                                                                         Part 3

Here’s another bunch of films from last year that are quite good but didn’t get noticed much. You might find one or two to try.

The Duke is one of my favorites from 2021. I was able to watch it only recently but it’s widely available now. It stars two of the absolute icons of British movies: Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. They are the Buntons. She is hardly recognizable as the dowdy, stodgy housewife. He is the pocket socialist who decides to make things better for the poor by stealing Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the British Museum and distributing  the reward money. Of course he gets caught and the fun part of the film is his trial in the Old Bailey. And- it’s hard to believe, but this film is based on a true story!

How great would it be for a woman to have a boyfriend who fulfilled her every want and need, almost before she wants it? Actually it may not be as great as it sounds. In I’m Your Man, scientist Alma agrees to evaluate a robot programmed to satisfies her every need. And he does. Handsome, charming, sensitive Tom’s only drawback is that he is not a human being. Alma’s reactions might not be what we think ours would be. Or maybe they would?

    Well, of course in this same article we have to review I’m Your Woman, which is absolutely nothing like the prior film. Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) is married to Eddie, a professional thief. They have long wanted children but haven’t been able to conceive. One day Eddie comes home with a baby he says they can have and raise. Eddie vanishes and a colleague gives Jean a bag of money and tells her to relocate at once. She does so, taking baby Harry with her. As you might guess, it ain’t over!

The Water Man is a modern fairy tale in which tweens Gunner and Jo go on a search for the mythical title character, in the hope he can cure Gunner’s mom of her lethal leukemia. Their trek through an enchanted forest is fraught with peril. The ending may not suit everybody, but it is at least interesting. 

Strangely enough, this year’s sleepers contain two movies about truffles. Pig with Nicholas Cage is reviewed in an earlier sleepers column. The Truffle Hunters is an Italian documentary about old guys who hunt the epicurean treats. These men use specially trained dogs to find the elusive truffles. The white Alba truffles they seek are extremely rare and valuable and have resisted all efforts to cultivate them. 

All of the movies in this article are available on DVD. All except I’m Your Woman are okay for all ages, though kids probably won’t care for most of them.