Grown-Ups

One of the finest of the films that Mike Leigh produced for the BBC early in his career, GROWN-UPS focuses on the relationship between Dick (Philip Davis) and Mandy (Lesley Manville), a young, newlywed couple whose marital tensions are exacerbated by those around them, including their next-door neighbor (Sam Kelly)—who just so happens to their stern ex-teacher—and Gloria (Brenda Blethyn), Mandy’s cringe-inducingly oblivious sister, whose constant presence becomes a source of immense irritation. In true Leigh fashion, things come to a head in a climax that is brilliantly funny and heartbreaking at the same time.