Implausible plot and cheap gags aside, Finding Your Feet is a surprisingly moving film that addresses the realities of ageing in a light-hearted yet heart- wrenching fashion.
When Lady Sandra’s marriage breaks down after 35 years, she seeks comfort in her estranged sister, who teaches her the importance of letting go of her inhibitions in the form of joining her amateur dance class. She sets aside her obsession with her outward social display in exchange for true friends who care neither for her title or her social class.
The film tell you to seek your best life. The character development was excellent, especially in Timothy Spall’s depiction of the lovable Charlie. Charlie’s dreams of embarking on an adventure on his canal boat tells an entire generation that it is never too late to change your life.
Something unsuccessful in the film was the clumsy reference to social media trends, which seemed more like an empty name-drop as opposed to genuine social awareness. When Sandra’s grandson asks for ‘Gangnam Style’ to be played at a party, I had to suppress an audible groan. If it was an attempt to appeal to the millennial generation it needed to have been something more immediate. If we have gained any lessons from social media it is immediacy; trends rise quickly only to die a painful death.
At times I felt that the jokes about aging were excessive and too frequent but perhaps this was another generational discrepancy, as they went down well in the cinema (within which I was the youngest person).
Finding Your Feet has a heart-warming message and endearing characters but some of the attempted humour and implausibility cheapened the production. Nonetheless, its flaws do not detract from the unquestionable feel good factor.
