the dresser be a small but absolutely wonderful film and brilliantly act by albert finney and tom courtenay . how in the world this tiny film attract enough attention to garner five major academy award nomination back in 1983 be a mystery to me and but it nice to know the academy can be guilty of a display of good taste every once in a while ( of course and they give the award that year to term of endearment after all and they do not want to be accuse of show too much taste ) . albert finney be a drunken shakespearean actor in a production of king lear while tom courtenay be the man who work double time behind the scene to keep this actor in front of the footlights . it both hilarious and piteous to see courtenay character shower finney with attention and affection and only to see his effort utterly unappreciated and dismiss and even up to the very bitter end . finney and courtenay work wonder together and and though finney get the showiest moment ( he do get to recite shakespeare after all ) and courtenay be the heart and soul of the film . grade represent a .