Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Better Late Then Never

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Emily (Diane Keaton) has adjusted to being widowed a year ago in all respects other than financially. She is trying to keep her poor finances a secret from the other residents of the upmarket apartment house she lives in when she encounters Donald (Brendan Gleeson), known locally as The Tramp, who lives in a shack built from scrap in thr grounds of a long-demolished hospital. Donald happily keeps himself to himself and makes to demands on anyone, but the owners of the site have served an eviction notice on him so that they can redevelop the site. Donald's instinctive reaction is aggressive bluster, because he doesn't know what else to do. And so Emily starts helping him to obtain Adverse Possession (Squatters Rights). Which doesn't go down well in her social circle.Hampstead is an affluent, upper-middle class area of north London which is mildly snobbish and, paradoxically, under the impression that it isn't, and this underlies the humour in this fanciful geriatric romance, based on a real-life case of someone who had made his home on a forgotten, but ultimately valuable, plot of land.Hampstead is photographed very prettily. Diane Keaton has a little more substance than in her last couple of outings, and Brendan Gleeson does comedy as well as he ever has: he doesn't get too much opportunity for comedy usually, which is a shame.Jason Watkins, as usual, steals every scene he is in.Real life, I suspect, had little in the way of romance accompanying the legal issues whereas the fate of the two ill-matched lovers is the raisin d'etre for the movie. And that's fine. The resolution is a bit too glib but, otherwise, this is very gentle and likeable.

That lazy evening, when you just wanna cozy up, and share some giggles, this will do. A decent story, with a good cast.

"Do you drink too much all the time? No, only when I drink."You're lying relaxed on your sofa on a Saturday night and you don't have the energy to do something useful? Well, that will certainly not change after watching this romantic comedy which takes place in the vicinity of Hampstead Heath. The whole film proceeds at a leisurely pace and tells about the strange relationship between Emily (Diane Keaton) and Donald (Brendan Gleeson). Emily is a middle-aged widow living in a respectable appartment opposite Hampstead park. Donald is a wayward tramp living in a little self-build shack in that same park, growing his own potatoes and carrots and fishing for lunch in the local pond. The two relate to eachother as yin and yang. Emily is having money troubles after the death of her husband, who left her a mountain of debt. She works voluntarily in an Oxfam clothing store and is reasonably socially engaged. Donald, on the other hand, never worries about money and wants everyone to leave him alone. In his eyes, the rest of the community consists of money-minded egocentric know-it-alls who do not understand and appreciate his wilful lifestyle.The advantage of films such as "Hampstead", is that you won't be flabbergasted by it. You get a warm and blissful feeling from it and your brain cells are spared an exhausting effort. My philosophizing about "being amazed while watching a movie" (read my review about "Paddington 2" once again) isn't applicable to this film, because there's really nothing to be surprised about. The choice of its title is quite obvious. And when Emily looks unconsciously with binoculars through the attic window and thus discovers the bare belly of a bathing Donald, you immediately know what the tree-hugging activist is planning to do. What follows is a succession of endearing conversations and predictable misunderstandings. Fortunately, it doesn't lapse into romantic excesses and we are simply witnessing a burgeoning friendship between two individuals who have their own personal problems. One person fails to make ends meet financially and her gossiping high-society neighbor tries to link her to an accountant. The other is urged to leave his premises or he'll be expecting some legal proceedings. Well, it's clear from the beginning how this will resolve itself.I really enjoy the acting of Diane Keaton. In every film she's the personification of a very cozy, hugely affectionate and huggable elderly lady. Such a granny who looks immensely friendly, helpful and old-fashioned. And on that level, she's of course the correct choice to play the character Emily in this not so surprising film. Because to be honest, it seems as if Diane Keaton always plays the same movie character. I'm sure Diane Keaton is a similar person in real life and thus plays herself all the time. Brendan Gleeson, on the other hand, was a joy to watch. A bearded garden gnome who's sometimes a real old grumbler but next shows he also owns a caring heart. Even though they look like an odd couple and it feels as if they don't really belong together, I can understand that someone like Emily can succumb to the sometimes hidden charms of Donald.Apparently the story is based on true facts but some things are a bit romanticized and made up. The whole thing reminded me of "5 Flights up" where Diane Keaton also had a real estate problem together with Morgan Freeman. "Hampstead" is like some household tasks. You do not necessarily have to do them, but if you can bring yourself to carry them out, it won't hurt either. So it's not required to watch this average, easy-going romantic comedy. But if you do, it won't seem as if you've ruined your precious time.More reviews here : movie-freak.be

Based on a true story, this is a British made ROMCOM loosely based on the story of Harry the Hermit. Starring Brendan Gleeson and Diane Keaton. Harry the Hermit, was an Irishman who became famous for setting up a makeshift shack in a corner of Hampstead Heath. The film shows property developers trying to evict him, in order to build luxury apartments. Later we see Brendan's character in court, where he successfully claimed squatter's rights to the land, having lived there for 17 years. Consequently he was awarded a deed to the land, which he sells at the end of the film for £4 million (if I remember correctly).So it all ends happily ever after and the 'odd couple'(Gleeson / Keaton) become a couple and sail off in the original shack that he reconstructs onto a barge. There are lots of cliché scenes and jokes, some recycled from previous British ROMCOMS. The film is predictable, and a little boring for that reason. Essentially this is just OK, I would not recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed any of Gleeson's previous work.