The pairing of Alan Partridge's Steve Coogan and Dame Judi Dench might seem like a partnership you'd conjure up at the height of a strange, otherworldly dream, but it would be a discredit to both performers to say that they don't feel like a match made in heaven for the sum of Philomena, Steven Frears' latest comedy drama (of which Coogan also co-wrote the screenplay). Based on the book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee" by Martin Sixsmith, Philomena chronicles the eponymous character's 50-year-long search for her lost son, with Coogan as Sixsmith. Philomena could have easily ended up an uncomfortable mess of sentimentality and overwrought emotional scenes, but director Steven Frears refuses to let that happen, granting Coogan and Dench the space they need to make their characters real and complex. Coogan, especially, manages to break free from the constraints that have often limited him as an actor, and offers up a brilliant and heartfelt performance. The fact that Philomena was smart enough to avoid being too sweet is the key, though: don't let the cutesy poster fool you... this is great filmmaking.
