MartinHafer I love the United Kingdom and have been there a couple times. I marvel, however, at how such a small country geographically can have so many different accents--very, very distinctly different accents--accents which are quite difficult for non-Brits to easily understand. Now I am not being critical--I know our American accents can vary widely as well. However, here is why I am on this little tirade: "The Optimists" is a film about the lower classes of London and because of this, the accents are tremendously difficult for Americans to follow at times. While they were not exactly speaking Cockney (something even most Brits cannot fathom), it was tough to hear--and the DVD had absolutely no captions (closed captions or DVD captions)!!! I HATE films without captions--particularly ones when the film is then marketed abroad.The film stars Peter Sellers and he plays an impoverished busker. A busker, for us non-Brits, is a street performer who works for tips--a tough life, indeed. He seems to be a man who had at one time been on stage--now he wanders the streets with his cute but mangy dog working for tips. Sellers is good for this role, as he, too, came originally from the English music hall before he made it big in movies and television. This sort of performance is quite in line with the chameleon he was in films--particularly during the last decade or so of his life. Because his roles varied so much (and films in quality), it's really hard to describe him as an actor. As a result, his films varied widely from the very bad ("The Fiendish Plot of Fu Manchu") to the broadly funny (the Inspector Clouseau films) to the sublime ("Being There"--one of my all-time favorites).Early in the film, a couple poor and neglected kids are intrigued by Seller's character and follow him home. At first he's a bit hostile and tells them to go, though after a bit he accepts them and lets them tag along with him as he wanders the city on his rounds. Most of this isn't particularly brilliant or plot-driven, though it is an interesting chance to see Seller add another unusual character to his huge repertoire. Plus, it's oddly fascinating...though I have a hard time putting this into words. I am sure, however, that many will hate the way that the film just meanders about--less like it's a story and more like it's just a portrait of some people. I will admit that all this did seem to go a bit too long--though it was interesting nonetheless. But, later in the film it all becomes quite maudlin--very, very maudlin (there's a dead dog subplot--uggh!). This is when the film started to lose me and unfortunately, the film ended soon thereafter. Overall, interesting at times, but terribly uneven and slow. Not a bad film, though not a particularly good one either.By the way, apparently the film makers wanted to try several other actors in the lead--including, originally, Buster Keaton. Considering he died in 1966, it's obvious the project was in limbo for some time before they finally settled on Sellers--who did a fine job, though people insisting that he do a comedic performance will surely be disappointed. Oddly, in some ways this film reminded me of the wonderfully underrated Chaplin film, "Limelight"--a film, incidentally, which featured Buster Keaton in a nice cameo.

sotheran57 I have seen this film a couple of times over the years and even though it is a little maudlin (most films with dogs and kids are) and, possibly, naive, it is very entertaining. Sellers does what I consider to be one of his best performances - up there with his rogue friend Terry Thomas in Tom Thumb. But being a Keaton fan it would have been wonderful to see him in the role with all his years of vaudeville and film experience. Can you believe young kids wandering the streets and befriending an old man? I wonder if PC would allow this kind of thing to be produced today... It has no pretensions, just good story telling. Well worth a watch without deep analysis.

aberlour36 Despite wretched photography and poor sound, this film is an especially appealing monument to the romanticism of the period in which it was filmed. Sellers is excellent as the street entertainer, and the youngsters playing the two children who are attracted to him are riveting. The music too is to be commended. It's a three star film, worthy of one's time.

curtin_optom This is a very sad and sensitive film, beautifully filmed in a very poor area of London just behind Battersea Power Station. If you enjoy Merchant Ivory films, the 'Kidnappers', or 'Whistle Down the Wind' then you will appreciate the delicate undertones of this story.It is very true to life in the late 60's in London and shows the resilience of the children and the sadness of a once great Music Hall star.