Happy Labor Day! Here's a movie about appreciating the people who keep your world turning.
During the Blitz, a theatre group struggles to put on plays to lift morale. The lead actor (Anthony Hopkins) is in the middle of some kind of breakdown and his dresser (Ian McKellen), stage manager (Sarah Lancashire), and lead actress (Emily Watson) are all trying to keep him on track to star in the night's production of King Lear.
This should have been a slam dunk but there was just something off that kept me from enjoying it. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a movie where everyone is the villain. However, if you've only ever seen Ian McKellen as Gandalf or Magneto, it's definitely worth it to watch him simper and fawn over Anthony Hopkins.
It's bitter where it could be funny, mean where it could be sweet, and seems designed to punish an audience in the name of catharsis. It's based on a stage play and there are several other adaptations. Maybe one of them is better? I don't know and frankly, I'm never going to watch it again to check. This version is currently streaming on Starz.
Things I DNF'd this week: The Comebacks, Kindergarten Cop 2, The Sopranos, and Thelma and Louise.
No comments:
Post a Comment