Title – Goodbye June (2025)

Director – Kate Winslet (feature debut)

Cast – Kate Winslet, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, Johnny Flynn, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Stephen Merchant

Plot – When their mother June (Mirren) is given only a few weeks to live in the lead up to the Xmas period, an estranged group of siblings are drawn back together to make the most of their final days with their beloved matriarch.  

“A good goodbye..it’s all that matters”

Review by Eddie on 13/04/2026

It feels almost Grinch-like to admit to not liking Netflix’s recent Christmas release Goodbye June, the directional debut of beloved Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet, who for her debut has adapted her son Joe Ander’s screenplay.

A well-intentioned family drama that is centred around a semi-estranged and perfectly odd group of family members that all have their faults and their successes as human beings but are drawn closer together once more when their respected and kindly mother June is given mere weeks to live right in the lead up to the festive season.

Having no doubt learnt more than enough across her time in the movie-making industry thanks to collaborations with some of the modern era’s most successful and respected filmmakers, Winslet’s debut isn’t devoid of some signs of filmmaking smarts and a keen directional eye but these snippets can’t help cover up the fact everything about June feels rather unearned and uninspired as her and her sons film feels more like a copycat of much better features that are cut from the same cloth.

Loaded with a talented cast that includes key turns from industry legends like Helen Mirren, Winslet and Timothy Spall and respected industry players like Toni Collette and Andrea Riseborough, June had more than its fair share of tools at its disposal to deliver something special but its manufactured emotions, unearned feelings and attempts to cover off on life lessons that aren’t inspired by the right motivations make Winslet’s debut a stereotypically forgettable Netflix original that appears to be designed for easy wins and low hanging fruit.

It’s highly likely that those who have been confronted with direct family tragedies and loss in their own lives may overlook many of June’s shortcomings and feel themselves moved by June’s exploration of coming to terms to losing a loved one and it’s always a joy to witness the likes of Winslet, Mirren or Spall ply their trade on screen but there’s no glue holding this wannabe tearjerker together across its long feeling close to two hour running time.

You do wonder if without his family connection Anders may’ve found his trite and try-hard script optioned by studios? With it hard to overcome the feeling Winslet’s debut behind the camera is conveniently lined up to bring her sons work to life as while this isn’t a complete train wreck or write off, June never feels like a living breathing movie, rather the cold embodiment of what it’s trying to become and copy from the past both recent and far before.

Final Say –

A talented cast and relatable human story at its core can’t save Netflix’s Christmas themed weepy from an overriding abundance of unearned attempts to be a powerful family drama like many better films that have come before it.

2 fidgeting doctors out of 5