OVERVIEW
Onwards and Sideways looks at Parkinson’s with warmth and empathy, following two people who meet the day they are diagnosed with the disease. Tony Evans (Rhys Ifans) is a widowed primary school teacher who struggles to accept how much his life may change, while Emma Dretzin (Laura Linney) approaches the diagnosis with a much more open attitude. Directed by John Madden, a filmmaker with plenty of experience turning difficult subjects into accessible crowd-pleasers, the film searches for sweetness and humor within the cruelty of the disease.
BACKGROUND
While the film fits naturally in Madden’s filmography as yet another polished feel-good take on the fragility of old age, not too far from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, considerably more personal experience underpins Paul Mayhew Archer’s screenplay. The longtime comedy writer, best known for co-writing The Vicar of Dibley, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011 and has spent years turning his experiences with the disease into warm laughs, avoiding the misery take that usually surrounds the topic in films.
THE REVIEW
As good as the intentions are, there are moments when Onwards and Sideways comes too close to simplifying the disease, particularly in a rough opening where the possibility of Parkinson’s is treated with too much casualness by Tony and, even more strangely, by the doctor who diagnoses him. Worse, these early scenes are also where Madden loses his hand with the dosage of humor (or the attempt at it), particularly through Liz (Monica Dolan), who initially seems destined to become one of the year’s most irritating characters. She thankfully soon takes a back seat, and the film improves once it focuses on Tony and Emma.
Both Ifans and Linney are predictably excellent here, Linney bringing a more optimistic view of what comes next and adds a natural grace to her character, while Ifans extracts more humor from Tony’s fear and his attempts to suppress it (the scene with the school principal where she think he is drunk is by far the film’s funniest due to his impeccable comic timing). He is also particularly convincing in the physical progression, including an ability to freeze portions of his face that makes Tony’s deterioration much more credible.
The film uses the two to cover a lot about Parkinson’s, from alternative treatment methods and symptoms to its impacts on familial and romantic relationships and, of course, the benefit of joining a ballet class. Even if, in trying to package a lot, some aspects of the sickness feel rushed and are resolved too cleanly, such as Emma’s gambling addiction, for the most part, the film does a great job of capturing how to live with the sickness, and that a diagnosis may not be the death threat it appears to be.
While it generally moves well between comedy and more serious moments (outside the aforementioned opening scenes), the film is far better at extracting tears than laughs. It is particularly effective in smaller scenes, such as Tony’s shame in admitting to having the sickness, his fear that he will stop working, and his fear of admitting he needs help. Those tears aren’t thanks to Thomas Newman’s score, which occasionally tries too hard to make a scene dramatic, while also making the start feel too cute. The subtlety and balance remain in Linney and Ifan’s performances, and in how the film captures the passage of time for people with the disease.
There are also, out of nowhere, shots of adrenaline, first through Tony’s nightmares around his fears of skydiving, and later, a scene inside a car that creates more heart acceleration than the last Mission: Impossible film. Completely unexpected, but welcome, in the middle of a gentle Parkinson’s drama.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Adrenaline moments aside, Onwards and Sideways is a pleasant and compassionate film that becomes considerably stronger after its frustrating opening, particularly once it focuses on the relationship between Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney. Some of the comedy is painfully forced, and Thomas Newman occasionally pushes the emotions too hard. It could have been a little less light and, as a result, more touching, but as a drama-comedy about Parkinson’s, it achieves what it sets out to do. Onwards, and occasionally sideways.
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- Where to watch
- Coming soon
- Where to watch
- Coming soon
Play trailer
- Original title
- Onwards and Sideways
- Director
- John Madden
- Cast
- Laura Linney, Rhys Ifans, Rory Kinnear, Monica Dolan, Isabella Nefar, Leah Byrne, Danielle Galligan, Emma Louise Webb
- Screenwriter
- Paul Mayhew-Archer
- Composer
- Thomas Newman
- Cinematography
- Danny Cohen
- Editor
- Úna Ní Dhonghaíle
- Country
- Language
- English