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Drama

Beginners (2011): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Beginners (2011) movie poster

Beginners is a 2011 drama directed by Mike Mills, starring Christopher Plummer, Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent. It runs 1 hour 45 minutes and earned $14.3 million worldwide on a $3.2 million budget. It won 1 Oscar, including Actor in a Supporting Role, and 6 awards in all. Critics gave it 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.2/10.

IMDb rating
7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes
86%
worldwide gross
$14.3M
Oscar won
1
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Beginners (2011) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 45m (105 min)
Director
Mike Mills
Genre
Drama
Original language
English
Budget
$3.2M
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Beginners About?

The premise of Beginners without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Following his mother's death, Oliver discovers a life-altering secret about his father, Hal, who had been living with a terminal illness and a hidden past. Struggling with grief and regret, Oliver finds comfort in a developing relationship with the unconventional Anna. However, their connection is challenged by Oliver’s hesitation to fully embrace intimacy and the possibility of commitment.

Beginners Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • coming out
  • gay relationship
  • dog
  • homosexuality
  • older man younger man relationship
  • gay father
  • man dances with a man
  • gay club
  • father's boyfriend
  • lgbt drama
  • lgbt romance
  • lgbt comedy
+38 more
  • talking to a dog
  • father son relationship
  • cancer
  • terminal cancer
  • closeted homosexual
  • looking at oneself in a mirror
  • 2000s
  • feminism
  • reference to the velveteen rabbit
  • quirky comedy
  • domestic drama
  • feel good romance
  • tearjerker romance
  • man
  • child drives a car
  • gay character
  • sociology
  • son feeds his father
  • son shaves his father
  • french
  • actress
  • flashback
  • terrier
  • hotel
  • marriage
  • 38 year old
  • graphic artist
  • grief
  • sadness
  • drawing
  • artist
  • jack russell terrier
  • watching a movie
  • reference to the advocate
  • store
  • oxygen
  • shaving
  • biting
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Cast & crew

Beginners Cast

Christopher Plummer leads the cast, with Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent. Directed by Mike Mills.

From the director

More from Mike Mills

More films directed by Mike Mills, best-rated first: C'mon C'mon, 20th Century Women, Thumbsucker and I Am Easy to Find.

Full filmography
Ratings

Beginners Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Beginners 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.2/10.

Plot

Beginners Plot Summary

What happens in Beginners from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Throughout the film, memories of Oliver Fields’ parents are woven into his journey as he navigates a budding relationship with Anna Wallace.

Full summary

The whole story of Beginners, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Beginners Box Office & Budget

Beginners grossed $14.3 million worldwide on a $3.2 million budget, 4.5 times what it cost. $5.8 million came from the US and Canada and $8.5 million (60%) from the rest of the world.

2011 box office

Worldwide gross

$14.3M

4.5× its budget

US & Canada
$5.8M
International
$8.5M
Budget
$3.2M
US & Canada 40% Rest of the world 60%
Awards

Beginners Awards & Nominations

Beginners won 1 Oscar, including Actor in a Supporting Role, and 6 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Spirit Awards 2012, with 1 win from 4 nominations.

6 wins9 nominations6 ceremonies

Show all 6 ceremonies
Videos

Beginners Trailers & Videos

12 videos: 1 trailer, 9 clips and 2 featurettes.

All 12 videos
Beginners - Official Trailer
  • Clip Beginners: Fatherly Advice Clip
  • Clip Beginners: Awfully Alone Clip
  • Clip Beginners: Akbar Clip
  • Clip BEGINNERS - Clip: This Is Love
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Beginners?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What prompts Oliver to open up about his childhood and parents to Anna?

Cars

Cars in Beginners

6 cars on screen, including the 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300 D W123 and the 2001 Ford Crown Victoria.

All 6 cars
  • 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300 D W123 in Beginners 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300 D W123 Important role
  • 2001 Ford Crown Victoria in Beginners 2001 Ford Crown Victoria Minor role
  • 1992 Ford F-150 in Beginners 1992 Ford F-150 Background role
  • Freightliner Classic XL in Beginners Freightliner Classic XL Background role
Details

Beginners Also Known As

26 alternative titles, including “Amatorzy” and “Debiutanci”.

Also known as
  • Amatorzy
  • Debiutanci
  • Beginners (Principiantes)
  • 新手人生
  • 비기너스
  • Beginners - So fühlt sich Liebe an
  • Aşkın Halleri
  • Assim é o Amor
  • Начинающие
  • Kezdők
  • Začátky
  • 初学者
+14 more
  • Începători
  • בגינרס
  • 人生はビギナーズ
  • Toda Forma de Amor
  • Οι Πρωτάρηδες
  • Новаци
  • Початківці
  • Les débutants
  • مبتدی ها
  • Những Người Khởi Đầu
  • Beginners, así se siente el amor
  • Pradedantieji
  • พ่อผม...แอ๊บแมน
  • Početnici

Seen Beginners?

FAQ

Beginners FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Beginners, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Beginners?

Beginners runs 1 hour 45 minutes (105 minutes).

When was Beginners released?

Beginners was released on June 3, 2011.

Who directed Beginners?

Beginners was directed by Mike Mills.

More films by Mike Mills

Who is in the cast of Beginners?

Beginners stars Christopher Plummer, Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent.

How much did Beginners make at the box office?

Beginners grossed $14.3 million worldwide ($5.8 million domestic, $8.5 million international) on a budget of $3.2 million.

How is Beginners rated?

Beginners has 7.2/10 on IMDb, 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 81 on Metacritic and 68% on TMDB.

What awards did Beginners win?

Beginners won 6 awards from 9 nominations, including Best Supporting Male at the Spirit Awards 2012.

Does Beginners have a post-credit scene?

No. Beginners has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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