A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 33 wins & 86 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere are flashbacks, done with "home movies". Some were created for this movie, and some are footage of Philomena's actual son.
- GoofsWhen the phone rings in Martin's Washington, D.C. hotel room, the ringtone is typical UK, not US: two short rings, which repeat. "Filming Locations" indicate that interior hotel scenes were filmed at the London Marriott Hotel. The sound editor should have changed ringtone.
- Quotes
Martin Sixsmith: The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
Philomena: That's lovely, Martin. Did you just think of that?
Martin Sixsmith: No, it's T.S. Eliot
- Crazy creditsReal footage of Anthony/Michael is shown at the ending credits
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2013 (2013)
- SoundtracksMother of God Here I Stand
Composed by John Tavener and Mikhail Lermontov
Published by Chester Music Ltd.
By kind permission of Music Sales Creative
Performed by The Tiffin Boys' Choir
Choir Director: Simon Toyne
Judi Dench, as the Irish woman whose out-of-wedlock son is taken from her by Catholic nuns and sold to a rich American couple in the 1950's, has never been better. She imbues the role with a mix of wisdom (after all, as she reminds us repeatedly, she was nurse for 30 years) and naiveté that would seem to be impossible were it not so deftly handled. While the cynical atheist portrayed by Steve Coogan rarely misses an opportunity to poke fun at her, more often than not she enjoys the last laugh.
Despite the consummate acting, and Frears' slick directing, the greatest treat of the film is Steve Coogan's screenplay. Given its subject matter, the story could easily have veered into melodrama, but just when it is on the verge of doing so Coogan pulls us back from the edge. Thankfully, Coogan himself is there to convey precisely the proper blend of sarcasm and compassion.
- RolyRoly
- Sep 10, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- The Lost Child of Philomena Lee
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $37,709,979
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $128,435
- Nov 24, 2013
- Gross worldwide
- $100,129,872
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
![Judi Dench and Steve Coogan in Philomena (2013)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA5ODgyNzcxMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzkzOTYzMDE@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)