Liam is worth seeing, though, to celebrate a director taking risks when he doesn't have to.
Comment
10/09/01
Liam (2001)
70
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:76
Fresh:53
Rotten:23
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Though Liam's harrowing story is reminiscent of Angela's Ashes, it showcases strong performances, including one by child actor Anthony Borrows.
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: In the 1930s, Britain was between wars and on the verge of depression. Family homes were rented, pubs were smoke-filled dens and streetlights were minimal. For seven year old, Liam (Anthony... [More]
Starring: Anthony Burrows, Ian Hart, Anne Reid, Claire Hackett
Director: Stephen Frears
Reviews for Liam
One of [Frears'] loveliest, most heartfelt films.
10/09/01
Right down there with Naked and The Cement Garden.
10/09/01
Beautifully cast and acted, with young Borrows giving a performance as natural as it is heartbreaking.
10/09/01
A heartbreakingly beautiful film.
10/09/01
A vivid, intense evocation of a ... time and place.
10/09/01
Frears is a director who seems able to spin gold in any genre...but his connection to "Liam" feels personal, as if he poured his heart into every frame.
10/08/01
In Frears' hands the script by Jimmy McGovern, despite its cliches, is brought to life with surprising freshness...far better than it has any right to be.
10/08/01
The greatest tragedy of Liam is that it doesn't have the courage to carry its own modest convictions through to the end.
10/08/01
Stephen Frears makes every note count for a lot in this beautifully gauged microcosm of big emotions expressed in small gestures.
10/08/01
... an emotionally restrained vision of harsh, impoverished lives, more thoughtful than affecting, and never less than gorgeous...
10/05/01
Annoyingly inconsistent, even arbitrary, in sustaining a point of view.
10/05/01
The film is built on strong performances.
10/05/01
Top CriticIs this fussy folderol the only way to teach that it's wrong to hate? According to Frears, 'tis.
10/04/01
Winds its way toward an unswallowable coincidence and a finale so melodramatic it would embarrass Snidely Whiplash.
10/04/01
Borrows' Liam -- well, they found the right kid, without a doubt.
10/04/01
A welcome if somewhat familiar picture.
10/04/01
Click to read the article
10/04/01
A strong, shaggy, very perceptive film and also a funny one.
10/04/01
Your heart will ache for the little Liam, who has yet to lose his innocence in the face of unbelievable cruelty.
10/04/01
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube 
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds