2. Darren - The Mother
A bit of a left-turn, this: Craig plays a handyman named Darren who gets really rather too handy with his lovers mum. The Mother isnt really about Darren - its about the cold, silent creep of old age coming upon a woman who isnt sure of her place in the world anymore since she lost her husband, and her attempt to find anything and anyone to grab onto to keep herself afloat - but Craigs performance gives Anne Reid a warm presence to gravitate toward. Similarly to Enduring Love, this performance came before really widespread mainstream success, but continues his mid-00s penchant for critically-lauded low-key romantic drama. A feature of Craigs roles is that they tend to be emotionally distant to some extent. Whats interesting about his role in The Mother is that its so warm and so believable. In fact, its his openness which makes the whole conceit believable. Craigs a total hunk, obviously, so the idea of him getting together with a woman twice his age is head-cockingly unlikely to say the least. However, the way he plays Darren as an almost puppyish, open-hearted young man, as well as the really natural interplay between himself and Anne Reid, push The Mother into being a really affecting piece.