On the day of her husband’s retirement, Lady Sandra Abbott (Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter‘s Dolores Umbridge) discovers he’s having an affair with her best friend. So she runs away to London to stay with her estranged sister Bif (Celia Imrie, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) who’s everything Sandra isn’t — liberal, outspoken, and happy. And little by little Sandra gets her groove back with the help of Bif’s dance class buddies. Finding Your Feet feels kind of familiar — older lady finds herself after a breakup — but thanks to a great ensemble cast and some fun dance scenes, it’s a sweet and uplifting little entertainment.
Sandra always thought she’d live out her life with her husband in their country opulence, so moving in with her sister in a cramped apartment is not easy for her, but Bif has a heart of gold and wants to reconnect with her little sister. Turns out Sandra once had dancing ambitions, but that was put on hold decades ago. And when Bif invites her to join her dance class, she initially balks. But then she reluctantly goes and finds that her dancing days are not over. And her budding relationship with one of the dancers unlocks another long dead part of her.
Finding Your Feet isn’t going to be up for any awards, and I don’t see it crossing over to wide audiences, but it fits perfectly in that “films you can see with your mom” slot. And the cast is all top notch. Imelda Staunton and Timothy Spall may be most well known for their Harry Potter roles, but they’re both award winning actors and they play beautifully off one another. If there is one problem with the movie, it’s that it is a bit long (111 minutes). Nevertheless, I’d recommend it for a girl’s night out, especially if you’re over 50. And you might just want to go find a dance class after seeing it.