It has to be daunting portraying a legend. Yet, if done wellâ┚¬â€ÂWilliams shines as Marilyn Monroe; Branagh captivates as Sir Laurence Olivierâ┚¬â€Âperformances elevate a film above its weaknesses.
In 1957, Monroe traveled with her new husband, playwright Arthur Miller (Scott), and acting coach (Wanamaker) to shoot a film in England. The picture had star and director Olivierâ┚¬â€Âit was the charming but fluffy comedy The Prince and the Showgirl. For his first job, Colin Clarke (Redmayne) was third assistant director. Mostly, he was Olivier's gopher who was also handed the job of babysitting the self-destructive Monroe. Being young, Clarke's emotions got in the way. It didn't help that Monroe knew how to manipulate.
Besides the abrupt editing, there is one flaw with the film, and it's a biggie. As written and performed, the protagonist is bland. Redmayne's Clarke is a ducky chap and a dupe for all of the film industry's emotional evils. Mostly, he waxes poetic and sits around looking dewy eyed and star-struck.
Yet it's wondrous to see Williams embody the beautiful performer: her electricity, her campiness, her self-doubts and frequent meltdowns. As the titular stage pro, Branagh's Olivier is a lovely foil for Monroe's method acting obsession. These are two performances that deserve notice, for creating uncanny likenesses of the iconoclasts: their craft and their humanness.
There is a square wheel on this otherwise raucous Christian choir bus.
Good thing the singing is amazing, and the movie's heart is in the right place. Without those grace notes, this over-involved Christian musical comedyâ┚¬â€Âproduced by Latifahâ┚¬â€Âwould've made a pretty sour tune.
Parton is the rich widow of the local church choirmaster. She expects she'll get the position because of her husband and her money, but the job is handed to Latifah. Latifah is an impoverished mom raising two kidsâ┚¬â€Âsexy teen Palmer and a child with Asbergers Syndromeâ┚¬â€Âwhile her husband has re-enlisted. Parton, meanwhile, wants to love and support her delinquent grandson, Jordan. The whole town they live in, actually, is depressed, mired in a small-town soap opera. The only thing that will save everyone is a national win at the Joyful Noise choir contest.
Thank God the music and comedy are so uplifting. Because the writing turns speechy and maudlin, and the whole show grinds to a halt. Two of the songs would work in a stage version, but they don't fit here. Also, we really don't need a top-heavy plot full of grieving widows, teenage love triangles, abandoned kids, estranged marriages, and Asbergers.
Despite the â┚¬Å”Lifetime Televisionâ┚¬Â script, Joyful Noise is a Christian movie that won't judge you, peddling realism with fairness. But most of all, the singing is glorious, and Parton and Latifah make an unusual but fun pair to watch.
The primary rule to a good mystery is that the clues are all there. Nowadays, the gimmick of espionage thrillers seems to be car chases, elaborate fights, and special effects. Slow and studied, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spyâ┚¬â€Âbased on the famous John lé Carre novelâ┚¬â€Âconfounds all expectations.
It's 1973, and British intelligence has a mole feeding data to the Ruskies. Oldmanâ┚¬â€Âwho was forced into retirement months earlierâ┚¬â€Âis secretly rehired to ferret out the traitor. Is it the conniving Jones, the debonair Firth, the stalwart Hinds, or the rescued ex-Communist Dencik?
The film sometimes plays like a mystery, showing little clues. Also, as in thrillers, a few spies die. However, mostly Oldman has to dig up enough data to set the perfect trap. Somehow, this feels closer to how international intelligence actually works: pouring over paperwork, looking for inconsistencies.
It hurts Oldman that the suspects are his friends, men he's known for decades. He and they are so committed to their jobs, their home lives falter. In fact, one of them once had an affair with Oldman's now-estranged wife.
So, is this a good mystery? No, it's entirely too complicated, and vital clues are missing. Also, as a spy thriller, its introspection and deliberate pace will anger some audiences. However, as a character study of people who commit themselves to observation, mind games, and minutiae, this film is subtly fascinating.
