This Beautiful Fantastic ~ A Review

Hello dear friends…

I am thrilled to be sharing this review with you today.

It is always wonderful to find good movies that inspire, and This Beautiful Fantastic is definitely one of those…

What the story is about…

A creative soul trapped by her fears, the somewhat eccentric Bella Brown finds her way out of her dark and obsessive little world through the process of cultivating a garden with the help of her cantankerous old neighbour and the friendship of a brilliant young inventor.

Along the way, old grievances are sprinkled with drops of kindness, and the unlikeliest of people are drawn together through a common interest.

My thoughts…

I will admit that during the first few minutes of the movie, I had my doubts, but, as time went on and the story began to take form, I found myself thoroughly enchanted.

It is somewhat arty in the way the pieces of the story come together, but truly magical and well worth watching.

There is also some good humour thrown in which brought everything together in a most delightful way.

Of course, being a gardener myself, I fully appreciated the references to the joy derived in creating a beautiful garden.

I have always maintained that tending the earth is one of the greatest forms of therapy, and this is something we see happening in This Beautiful Fantastic.

The characters…

In this story we see Bella overcoming her fears, forming meaningful friendships and discovering something about herself.

Through the tedious process of eliminating the weeds suffocating her yard, she creates something wonderful, not only in her garden, but in her life.

Jessica Brown-Findlay (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) did an incredible job of morphing into her complex character with such believability and depth of feeling, skillfully portraying Bella’s vulnerable and somewhat eccentric nature.

 Andrew Scott (Swallows and Amazons) played the role of Alfie Stevenson’s Irish cook, Vernon, to absolute perfection.

Originally, Vernon works for Alfie, who does not treat him as he should and shows no appreciation for Vernon’s culinary talent.

Upon meeting Bella, who shows him kindness, he decides to return the favour by cooking her breakfast the next morning and working for her instead, leaving his miserable boss in the lurch.

Vernon is an endearing character and adds an essential element of humour to the story.

Tom Wilkinson (Belle) played the cantankerous and controlling Mr Alfred Stevenson.

Mr Stevenson is Bella’s interfering old neighbour – a lonely man who has a great deal to share; his knowledge of gardening and stories of his travels.

As the story unfolds, we see Alfie gradually letting go of his bitterness and pain by reaching out to someone in desperate need of kindness and a helping hand.

The role of the brilliant young inventor, Billy Tranter, was played by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse).

Billy is passionate about his work, and at first it is this enthusiasm which draws Bella out.

The two discover they see the world through similar eyes and inspire each other to greatness.

Over time, we see that Alfie becomes something of a fatherly figure in Bella’s life, while Vernon takes on that of a caring and protective older brother.

The equally eccentric young inventor, Billy, starts out as Bella’s inspiration and friend, but over time their friendship develops into something more precious.

Final thoughts…

In This Beautiful Fantastic, we see these remarkable characters grow, let go of their prejudices and allow themselves to be brought together through something as simple as gardening.

This is one of those rare and wonderful movies that leave you smiling at the end and believing that sometimes all it takes is the willingness to lay aside old grievances and allow kindness to overcome all.

I would give This Beautiful Fantastic a rating of 4/5 stars and would recommend it for ages 12+.

Some mild language used but otherwise clean.

Have you seen This Beautiful Fantastic?

If so, what did you love most about this movie?

Have a blessed week, dear friends!
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ALL THOUGHTS ARE ENTIRELY MY OWN.