High Hopes

R

Released Feb 24, 1989

1 hr. 52 min.

Comedy

List

92%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

An old London widow's (Edna Doré) daughter is a yuppie, but her son (Philip Davis) and his girlfriend (Ruth Sheen) are Marxists.

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Kyle J

Contrasting characters with both humour and sadness the film wanders into many crevices depicting life struggles and means to cope. Mike Leith does have his formula but true to life it is a relief from Hollywood. However, some of the music is dire and seems to also repeat in several films. The ability to care for strangers is really the gold standard you can't run away from.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

With High Hopes, Mike Leigh definitely made an effort to bring his own political beliefs and dilemmas to light. He made an even bigger effort to make the film look like a farse and hide insightful observation behind that farse. He also doubled down on a cast of caricatures, anchored by a single believable, relatable protagonist, and he mainly suceeded. The effect is darkly funny, though-provoking and sometimes a little kitsch (intentionally, I'm certain). Cyril is living in an unforgiving world disguised as a disgraceful circus, but cold nonetheless. As a proud marxist in Thatcher's England, he knows exactly who he is and that he doesn't belong and he's happy with it, but he has no idea who he should be and what he should do. He is as sincere as he is sarcastic, as compassionate as he is condescending because he has no clue what the world needs from him: neither his loving girlfriend with similar beliefs but different needs, nor his unstable sister or his apathetic mother. That is his little personal tragedy. In 1983's Meantime, Leigh asked the big questions through the little human moments, subtly, masterfully. This time around he skips some steps and gets right to the explicit political commentary. High Hopes would have benefited from a little more control on the story and a lot more patience with the ideas. Leigh's evolution as a filmmaker is visible. Somehow, he got more calm in his writing, but angrier in his direction.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If you can find it watch it. A wonderful cast of characters who feel like people you know. Even the silences speak volumes.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

M-F-O 8.3 [Mike Leigh]

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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Audience Member

Cyril and Shirley are a lazy slacker couple that takes easy on life. They invite strangers to stay in they tiny London flat, they never care much about money, they laugh together, they smoke some and they seem like a very great couple to hang out with. Cyril has an old mother he rearly get to see but he treats her well when he does. His sister and her husband is the straigh opposite of Cyril and Shirley as they jab around, always dealing with stuff and stresses out every little thing. Other people involved feels like lunatics, so the old mom and the couple seem like the only normal people here - and I dig it. This is portraying the 80's era of London with both working-class people and the snobby ones. Leigh captures the differences and views just brilliantly. Great charactes and a sweet film. Never flat out funny, never boring, but lovely paced and it's got a positive vibe. The characters are everything and Cyrils sister may be the most anoying woman on screen ever. Dear lord, she's something. Mike Leigh's non-TV debute and a good one. I've seen better efforts from him, but as the solid director he has become, this is not a poor film at all. It's actually very good. 7.5 out of 10 innit's.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I give this a 98/A+.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Mike Leigh

Director

Philip Davis

Cyril Bender

Ruth Sheen

Shirley

Edna Doré

Mrs. Bender

Philip Jackson

Martin Burke

Heather Tobias

Valerie Burke

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Becomes a tough-love account of struggles across the class divide in Thatcher’s Britain, with heartbreaking turns from Phil Davis and Ruth Sheen as a couple in denial about the causes of their childlessness.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 16, 2022

Full Review

Gilbert Adair

Sight & Sound

Cyril and Shirley both have and are the high hopes of Leigh's title, which is absolutely not ironic; and theirs is a story of grace under pressure.

Jan 16, 2020

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

High Hopes is an alive and challenging film, one that throws our own assumptions and evasions back at us.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Michael Bronski

Gay Community News (Boston)

High Hopes sometimes feels a little slow, a little unnerving and unwilling to compromise. In the end, however, it is deeply satisfying.

Aug 24, 2022

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

A satire in bad taste. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 12, 2022

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

Though frequently funny, the film's overall mood is one of resigned melancholy that never tips into the outright anger that characterizes Leigh's most incendiary work.

Rated: 7/10

Jun 29, 2020

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Synopsis

An old London widow's (Edna Doré) daughter is a yuppie, but her son (Philip Davis) and his girlfriend (Ruth Sheen) are Marxists.

Director: Mike Leigh
Rating: R (Drug Use|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 24, 1989, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Jun 23, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.0K