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High Hopes (1988) poster

1988 · comedy · drama · british

High Hopes

Directed by Mike Leigh1h 48m1988

Working-class couple Shirley and Cyril are in conflict over whether they should have children, their problems with 'yuppies' moving into the neighbourhood and outpricing them, and the advent of Cyril's ageing mother's seventieth birthday.

Our read: High Hopes (1988) reads as a neutral, steady, grounded comedy · drama · british entry — gentle in intensity, intimate in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook.

Movie DNA

Neutral, steady, gentle comedy / drama, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, intimate, measured.

ElsewhereIMDb7.46kRT92%Metacritic84TMDB7.1100
  • gentle
  • intimate
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Everyone on the couch spins once and gets one craft to watch for. After the credits, compare what you caught.

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DNA · twelve axes

How High Hopes feels to watch.

Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.

MoodHeavy ↔ Cosy
PacingSlow-burn ↔ Kinetic
IntensityGentle ↔ Extreme
WeirdnessConventional ↔ Surreal
HopeNihilistic ↔ Redemptive
StakesIntimate ↔ Epic
HumourNone ↔ Broad
RealityGrounded ↔ Fantastical
DensitySparse ↔ Twisty
WarmthCold ↔ Tender
AuteurTransparent ↔ Signature
Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

“You want sharp, naturalistic British comedy about class and family.”

ends bittersweetit stays with yousteady all the waygrips by minute 15attention 4/5earns its length
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around

Skip it tonight — You want plot-heavy story or quick laughs tonight.

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