It’s impossible not to enjoy this big-hearted and sweet-natured British family movie from Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin – effectively a feature-format development of their smash-hit BBC TV comedy, Outnumbered, which pioneered semi-improvised dialogue from the children. It creates a terrifically ambitious (and unexpected) narrative with a tonne of sharp gags. I would have liked to see Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner reprise their roles as the mum and dad, but because we have all seen their fictional children grow up on the small screen that is not really feasible.

David Tennant and Rosamund Pike are Doug and Abi, the troubled parents of three boisterous kids: they’re heading up to Scotland for the 75th birthday of Doug’s unwell dad, Gordy (Billy Connolly), which means staying with Doug’s uptight brother, Gavin (Ben Miller), and his depressed wife, Margaret (an excellent Amelia Bullmore). This means maintaining all the secrets and lies of families, and Gordy finds the only people he really gets on with are Doug’s young children. He respects their natural honesty and confides to them his hopes and fears. Jenkin and Hamilton have created a smart script, with laughs and subtleties: could there be a connection in Gordy’s mind between the own goal in football and the wartime friendly fire that caused a family tragedy? Very impressive and likable stuff.

“The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his “California Bubble Life”.

Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On his journey, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen), a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (‘James Nesbitt’), who is suffering from a bout of writer’s block. From the unexpected and, oftentimes, amusing experiences along the way, this unlikely quartet of misfits creates an everlasting bond and Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again. Through Tom’s unresolved relationship with his son, he discovers the difference between “the life we live and the life we choose

Jimmy’s Hall begins with images of New York in the roaring twenties, the building boom of ‘the Big Apple’ before the bust of the Wall Street crash. Arriving home in 1932 from a depressed America to rural Leitrim is handsome renegade Jimmy Gralton (Barry Ward). Back to his mother’s farm with his worldly possessions on the back of a cart. Back to an Irish Free State desperately trying to heal the scars of the Civil War. “What will you do with yourself Jimmy?” he is asked by a friendly neighbour, “I want the quiet life” he replies.

However, Gralton is destined to live in sunshine not in shadow. He returns not with gold in his pocket but Red revolution in his head. Gralton is committed to help the poverty stricken become comrades and fight for land and freedom. Ten years earlier, he had built a dance hall on his land where young people came to learn, to dream and dance to a different tune. But then Gralton was forced to flee, as the country split in two and he fell on the wrong side of political divide.
Now he’s back, the local girls demand the good times to return. “We want to dance Jimmy”
Jimmy’s Hall in the hands of a lesser director may have become just another fluffy piece of paddywhackery but Ken Loach brings all his integrity to the dance. Powerful performances throughout frame a fresh and thoughtful look at hidden Irish history. Due to his failing eyesight, this may well may be 77 year old Loach’s last film, but whether you agree with his politics or not, you have to admire his determined vision.