Louise is a screw-up. She drinks too much and stalks her ex-boyfriend, who has moved on to a new relationship. While trying to climb to a window to see his new apartment, Louise slips, falls to the sidewalk, and breaks her hip. In the hospital, she is roommates with Antonia, an older Polish woman who broke her hip. The older woman speaks no English and is cranky and annoying, not that Louise is a ray of sunshine.
Once out of the hospital, Louise runs across Antonia wandering the streets; she reluctantly tries to get her home but fails and takes her to the apartment she shares with Brick (Jermaine Fowler). The next day she finally locates the woman’s niece Sylvia (Michelle Twarowska), who is angry, but considering that Antonia could not tell Louise where she lived, Louise did pretty well. Sylvia is super-busy and convinces Louise to look after Antonia for pay. As she is not making much as a musician, she agrees. Her mother has Alzheimer’s and no longer recognizes Louise, which is depressing, and she refuses to see her.
At first, it is challenging for Louise, but eventually, she becomes less self-centered, and they begin to have fun together. When you think Louise has made progress, she messes up badly. Can we give a person a second and third chance?
The overall spirit of the film is comedy, and the characters are delightful. You’ll know Karen Gillan from the Jumanji re-makes and as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy, which speaks to her extensive range of acting ability. She has the capacity many U.K. actors share, that of convincingly mastering almost any accent. With over seventy projects to her credit, she is much in demand.
Late Bloomers is director Lisa Steen’s first feature-length project, and she shows great promise. Writer Anna Greenfield, who has done some TV work, and a couple of indie films, also shows promise. Overall, this was a funny and sweet film about finally getting it right.
Director: Lisa Steen
Writer: Anna Greenfield
Starring: Karen Gillan as Louise
Margaret Sophie Stein ( who in Poland acts under the name
(Malgorzata Zajaczkowska) as Antonia
Talia Balsam as Dorothy
Jermaine Fowler as Brick