Victoria and Abdul
1.5/4
Starring: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Izzard, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams
Rated PG-13 for Some Thematic Elements and Language
Full disclosure: I missed the first few moments of this movie. I'm still writing the review because I came in long before the title card showed up. And because I need it for my Bottom 10 list this year.
On a technical level, there's not much wrong with "Victoria and Abdul." The performances are solid, the cinematography is fine (although there's one scene that obviously lacked a tripod for no apparent reason), and so on and so forth. It's just that I didn't believe a minute of it. I kept praying that it would get better, but moments of emotional honesty are few. And that's what is necessary for this kind of buddy movie to work.
Queen Victoria (Dench) is in her golden years, but tired of all the ceremonies, rituals and politics. One day two emissaries from India show up to present her with a gift. One of them is Abdul (Fazal), who is not above bending the rules. She takes a liking to him, and they develop a close bond to the point where he becomes a constant companion. Of course, this is scandalous to the members of her house, and everyone tries to split them up.
The film sounds better than it actually is. The writing is so skin deep that it's hard to imagine what drew two titans of British filmmaking, Judi Dench and Stephen Frears, to the material. There's no depth or humanity to the story or the people involved. Dench and Fazal have some chemistry, but the writing just isn't there.
Judi Dench is playing Queen Victoria for the second time in her career, the other being "Mrs. Brown," which critics seemed to like a lot more than I did. She's fine in the role, but this version of the character just isn't worthy of her talents. However, not even someone as great as she could save this material. Her co-star, Ali Fazal, is also solid, although perhaps a little too energetic. The movie would have been better served had their relationship been more subtle.
The problem with the film is that the whole business of everyone being horrified at their relationship plays out like a failed TV sitcom. It's filled with overacting and grandstanding, even from established thespians like Eddie Izzard and Olivia Williams. Rather than threatening or comic, it plays like a bad joke that never wants to end. In fact, that's the way to describe the movie.
Usually, this time of year is when the good movies start coming out and I can find enriching entertainment instead of an endless array of superheroes (although "Thor: Ragnarok" comes out next week) and stupidity. However, like every year, there's a would-be Oscar contender that falls flat on its face. This year, it's "Victoria and Abdul."
Starring: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Pigott-Smith, Eddie Izzard, Michael Gambon, Olivia Williams
Rated PG-13 for Some Thematic Elements and Language
Full disclosure: I missed the first few moments of this movie. I'm still writing the review because I came in long before the title card showed up. And because I need it for my Bottom 10 list this year.
On a technical level, there's not much wrong with "Victoria and Abdul." The performances are solid, the cinematography is fine (although there's one scene that obviously lacked a tripod for no apparent reason), and so on and so forth. It's just that I didn't believe a minute of it. I kept praying that it would get better, but moments of emotional honesty are few. And that's what is necessary for this kind of buddy movie to work.
Queen Victoria (Dench) is in her golden years, but tired of all the ceremonies, rituals and politics. One day two emissaries from India show up to present her with a gift. One of them is Abdul (Fazal), who is not above bending the rules. She takes a liking to him, and they develop a close bond to the point where he becomes a constant companion. Of course, this is scandalous to the members of her house, and everyone tries to split them up.
The film sounds better than it actually is. The writing is so skin deep that it's hard to imagine what drew two titans of British filmmaking, Judi Dench and Stephen Frears, to the material. There's no depth or humanity to the story or the people involved. Dench and Fazal have some chemistry, but the writing just isn't there.
Judi Dench is playing Queen Victoria for the second time in her career, the other being "Mrs. Brown," which critics seemed to like a lot more than I did. She's fine in the role, but this version of the character just isn't worthy of her talents. However, not even someone as great as she could save this material. Her co-star, Ali Fazal, is also solid, although perhaps a little too energetic. The movie would have been better served had their relationship been more subtle.
The problem with the film is that the whole business of everyone being horrified at their relationship plays out like a failed TV sitcom. It's filled with overacting and grandstanding, even from established thespians like Eddie Izzard and Olivia Williams. Rather than threatening or comic, it plays like a bad joke that never wants to end. In fact, that's the way to describe the movie.
Usually, this time of year is when the good movies start coming out and I can find enriching entertainment instead of an endless array of superheroes (although "Thor: Ragnarok" comes out next week) and stupidity. However, like every year, there's a would-be Oscar contender that falls flat on its face. This year, it's "Victoria and Abdul."
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