Description

 Life Is Sweet (1990) is a British film directed by Mike Leigh, and starring Jane Horrocks.


The plot revolves around an English working class family and its issues. It can perhaps be regarded as a forerunner to The Royle Family blueprint of a gritty, fly-on-the-wall observation. The family consists of the typical father (Jim Broadbent), the mother (Alison Steadman), and two daughters - one a tomboy, Natalie (Claire Skinner) and one a somewhat angst-ridden yet fundamentally false Marxist and feminist, Nicola (Jane Horrocks). Nicola's part-time lover (David Thewlis) sees her for what she really is and both their sex scene and their break-up scene once again provide embarrassing yet poignant viewing. We also witness her bulimia in a very graphic scene