Philomena

2013 • 98 minutes
4.3
802 reviews
91%
Tomatometer
PG-13
Rating
Eligible
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About this movie

Pregnant, unmarried teenagers were not well-regarded in Philomena Lee's 1950's Irish Catholic community in England. Forced to give her son up for adoption in the United States, Philomena (Academy Award®-Winner Judi Dench) was also made to sign a contract forbidding her from any inquiry into his whereabouts. Years later, after starting a family in England and for the most part moving on with her life, Lee meets Sixsmith (Steve Coogan of TROPIC THUNDER), a BBC reporter with whom she decides to journey to America to finally discover her long-lost son. Based on the 2009 investigative book by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith, "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee," PHILOMENA takes you along on that emotional trip.
Rating
PG-13

Ratings and reviews

4.3
802 reviews
Elizabeth Farzan
May 3, 2014
Great plot, acting and directing. However, I have 2 major issues with the plot: religious and political. Woven in the beauty of the story is a hatched job for the Church and the Republican Party, which I found extremely offensive and gratuitous.
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Movie Searcher
November 13, 2015
After seeing this I felt like hugging my mom and tell her I love her. Philomena is art for those who actually like adult humor and awkwardness in their movies. This movie delivers joy in so many ways and a surprising plot twist.
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Mim Lo (Mimlo)
September 26, 2015
septuagenarian Irish woman (Dench) who longs to find out what happened to her 3-year old illegitimate boy, who was taken from her by the nuns/Magdalene Sisters and adopted [sold] to a well-off American family in 1955. She is accompanied by a cynical journalist (Steve Coogan) on her search, as he needs to write a human-interest piece. Based on real events, it's a moving indictment of a time in the Catholic Church's history. Dench= brilliance. Bits of subtle humor in the mix. Coogan's great, too!
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