Life is Sweet

Though it has been getting rave reviews around the country, "Life Is Sweet" did nothing for me. I'm definitely in the minority on this one.

A bracing look at a working-class family in England, the episodic story revolves around the layabout, dreamy father; his hard-working, optimistic wife; their twin daughters, one a boyish plumber, the other a brooding anorexic; and assorted eccentric friends.

Two basic elements of this picture put me off. One, the characters seemed so obnoxious that spending nearly two hours with them was an endurance test. Two, the cockney accents here are so thick, this film makes a real case for using subtitles in some English pictures.

It's hard to believe that "Life Is Sweet" is a comedy; much of the humor is as abrasive as the characters. And though I was somewhat moved by a speech toward the end, as the mother finally reaches out to her dysfunctional anorexic daughter, it takes a long time to get there.

"Life Is Sweet" is meant as irony, of course — although there is a nice message at the end about not just accepting your lot in life but fighting every day to make it better.

I'm just not sure the trip is worth the denouement.

"Life Is Sweet" is not rated, but it would easily get an R for profanity and a kinky nude sex scene.