Life is Sweet stays off-centre

life is Sweet * x***'% (Alliance) Rated Mature (at the Royal Centre)

IFE issweet — OK, not as sweet as those industrial-

strength 400-gram Dairy Milk bars that parents Wendy

and Andy (Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent) indulge
in. Maybe it’s the carbohydrates that are holding this British

family together.

One of the twins, Nicola (Gane
Horrocks), is driving everyone
quietly mad. Raspy-voiced de-
fiance springs out from beneath
her tangled veil of red hair. It’s
“Bollocks” or “Sod off’ (or
worse) whenever her ‘‘radi-
calism’’ is questioned.

And no one, not even her pen-
sive twin Natalie (Claire Skinner),
knows about her afternoon trysts
involving a gum-snapping lout, silk
scarves and dessert toppings.

But despite the ever-present
junk food, it’s not all
smiles’n’chuckles. Dark secrets are
locked under Nicola’s bed.

Somehow Wendy manages to
keep the family together, thanks to
her bubbly nature and need to
mother.

When Andy buys a food caravan
that’s more of a Rustabago, she
doesn’t explode. She understands
that it’s his dream.

Whert their oid friend Aubrey
gropes her in a drunken stupor,
she shrugs it off as the laughable
culmination to a disastrous open-
ing of his way-too-tres-exclusive
restaurant.

Mike Leigh’s attention to oddball
details in his script and direction
make for one of the most en-

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FILM REVIEW

joyable little films since his last,
High Hopes.

His trademark off-centre charac-
ters are here in abundance. Sure,
they're exaggerated, but despite
their emotional problems or dodgy
backgrounds, they are all likable,
unique and three-dimensional.

The acting is terrific, but Jane
Horrocks really stands out as
Nicola with an arsenal of neurotic
finger-tapping, grating sarcasm and
sullen glares.

It’s no small credit that her
character eventually becomes —
well, not exactly endearing but we
do have empathy for her. (Her
tour de force performance has al-
ready won a few awards.) .

Life is Sweet kicks off the British
Film Series and if this is any in-
dication, we're in for a real treat
over the next couple of months at
the Park and Roya! Centre
Cinemas.

Next up, Close My Eyes with
award-winning Alan Rickman
opens Friday, with Let Him Have It
(by Peter The Krays Medak), Riff
Raffand finally The Fool starring
Derek Jacobi (Dead Again) to
follow.

Whatever Happened to Baby
jane? *** (Warner Home Video)
Unrated

Joan: “If | wasn’t in this
wheelchair, Jane, I'd..."

Bette: “But cha are, Blanche.

Ya are in that chair.”

The British don’t hold the fran-
chise on dysfunctional families as
this 1962 hit proves.

For the only time in their ca-
reers, real-life feuding divas Bette
Davis and Joan Crawford were pit-
ted against each other as washed-
up actress siblings.

Joan manages to remain
glamorous, despite being a crippl-
ed victim of her disturbed
“baby” sister, who hasn't left
behind the little-girl act that made
her the child sensation of the ‘20s.

To get even for an accidental
kick in the head, Crawford added
weights under her bedclothes be-
fore Davis had to haul her from
one room to another — Bette
sprained her back.

NV music teacher honored

FORMER NORTH Vancouver
School District music supervisor,
Sherwnod Robson, was honored
by the British Columbia Music
Educators’ Association last week
at its 35th anniversary con-
ference.

Robson was one of the
association’s founding members
and its first president. The pres-
entation was made by Bob
Rankin, district coordinator of vi-
sual and performing arts for
North Vancouver School District,
at the Hotel Vancouver.

During Robson’s 38-year music

education career he distinguish-
ed himself as a choral music
specialist, having produced
championship school and com-
munity choirs at John Oliver
Secondary and the Vancouver
Bach Choir, which he conducted
from 1948-50.

During his retirement, which
began in 1974, he conducted the
Ryerson Church Choir for several
years.

“Hundreds of young people
and adults were influenced by
his expertise and enthusiastic
teaching,” said Rankin.

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