Movie review: A Place For Me

Australia is just about the only place on the planet that has given A Place For Me a place in its cinemas.

lily collins

MOVIE REVIEW: Australia is just about the only place on the planet that has given A Place For Me a place in its cinemas.

Hard to understand why this pithy dram-edy has been given the cold shoulder elsewhere.

It gives off the instant warmth of a well-made TV pilot you would happily hope would be swiftly developed into a series.

An eager-to-please storyline pitches divorcee writer William (Greg Kinnear) still pining for his ex-wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly), even though she is now happily married elsewhere. An elsewhere, I should add, that William sometimes keeps under surveillance in the dead of night.

Meanwhile, the ex-couple's offspring - both gifted authors in their own right - are both working through the process of falling in love for the very first time.

For Samantha (Lily Collins), this means ending an imposing track record of promiscuity. The same goes for her younger brother Rusty (Nat Wolff), save for the fact it is his virginity he must farewell.

Hard to sincerely gripe with any aspect of A Place for Me. The characters are skilfully established and expanded, their respective journeys resonate in a straightforward manner, and there's barely a scene that shouldn't be here.

> A Place For Me [MA15+]
Director: Josh Boone (feature debut)
Starring: Lily Collins, Nat Wolff, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Kristen Bell, Logan Lerman.
Rating: 3/5

"There's no place like home. Even if it's broken."