Second Best

1994

Action / Drama

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80% · 5 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80% · 250 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.8/10 10 2098 2.1K

suicide social worker orphanage village orphan postal worker

Plot summary

The difficult relationship between a british postal officer and his adoptive son.

Director

Chris Menges Photo
Chris Menges

Top cast

Alan Cumming Photo
Alan Cumming as Bernard
John Hurt Photo
John Hurt as Uncle Turpin
Prunella Scales Photo
Prunella Scales as Margery
Jane Horrocks Photo
Jane Horrocks as Debbie
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
965.51 MB
1280*696
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   cz   ar   dk   de   es   fi   fr   gr   hu   it   ja   kr   nl   no   pl   pt   sv   tr   cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 44 min
Seeds ...
1.75 GB
1920*1044
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us   cz   ar   dk   de   es   fi   fr   gr   hu   it   ja   kr   nl   no   pl   pt   sv   tr   cn  
23.976 fps
1 hr 44 min
Seeds 2

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by vegardhv 7 / 10

A cute movie

The story is about a kind man in his forties that never dated, drank or did drugs. He ended up in a kind of boring everyday life in a 5000 population town and felt something was missing, perhaps a child would do the trick? This movie is a cute story about a man who adopts a small boy with certain behavioral problems.
Reviewed by tim-764-291856 6 / 10

Just not terribly realistic

William Hurt is one of my favourite actors. Steady, brooding, sensitive. Unfortunately, the mix of loneliness, poignancy and longing for love is obscured by oft ill-judged caricatured characters and situations.I've read through the other reviews as well as seen the movie twice, now. There is no doubt that men such as Graham Holt do exist, sitting in the wings of society. Far more commonly, their (early, in his case) midlife crises emerge as they find life is slipping by and one that will have true meaning - and legacy. "I want you to look after me when I'm old", he blubs to the boy, James as they fight and argue.Whilst the media has us all believe that only inner city kids with hoodies and a drug dependence are the only ones who have grave emotional issues. So far, we're OK. The intention is good and the intense interactions work well as well as the temper tantrums performed by both man and boy.I noticed that many reviewers who wrote glowing comments may be a little overwhelmed by our English "quaintness". Or supposed quaintness. I really don't want to sound patronising. We certainly hold onto unrepresentative views of the U.S. Thus, this film's sedate pace may have an added attraction for them. That, though isn't my issue - it's the likes of Jane Horrock's vulgar and totally unsuitable character, social worker Debbie and the overplaying of Keith Allen's part as the boy's father. I've had issue with social services myself and I can only think that the writer David Cook and director Chris Menges felt that the film needed 'spicing up'. A sardonic character often works and occasionally makes a film, but only if it works.I really don't wish to insult his film further - but that old chestnut that the critics usually end up with springs to mind - would make a great TV movie. A pretty good, one though.
Reviewed by paul2001sw-1 6 / 10

Love Hurts

A brace of Hurts, William and (in a minor role) John, feature in this story of a middle aged man who adopts a troubled child, and does some belated growing-up in the process. Sensitively done, but there's something slightly obvious about it, the ideas are quite subtle but the realisations lack depth. Overall, a middling "Play for Today".
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