Here are some more pics: http://focusfeatures.com/slideshow/hyde_park_on_hudson_photos
Huh… he’s really starting to look like Brian at this point.
I hope the movie is more about the visit of the King and Queen rather than them just providing a historical backdrop for the Laura Linney character. I really really do not like her character’s being part of it. I like Laura Linney a lot, but I don’t need to know anything about FDR’s mistress.
I second GuanoLad’s opinion of Olivia Coleman. Her big role in movies so far has been in a slit-your-wrists depressing film called Tyrannosaur, directed by actor Paddy Considine (In America), about an abusive man who may be redeemed by a kind woman who’s married to another abusive man. It’d take its place alongside other depressing British films like Nil By Mouth (directed by Gary Oldman), Ken Loach’s Ladybird Ladybird, Lynn “We Need To Talk About Kevin” Ramsey’s Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar, and so many others I’m not thinking of at the moment, only Tyrannosaur makes those all look like Mary Poppins. I don’t recommend Tyrannosaur. It was a good movie, but it’s hard to watch (it starts with the main male character drunkenly kicking his dog to death just for barking), and even though I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing actors in movies, I find it very hard to look at (the in real life kind and jovial) Peter Mullan and Eddie Marsan now and not think of what horrible, abusive monsters they are in that film. But damn, Olivia Coleman is absolutely brilliant in it. It’s a crime she wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.
I know Olivia Colman from Peep Show and Mitchell and Webb, and a few one-off appearances here and there like in Midsomer Murders and Doctor Who. She is very naturalistic, and also great at character acting. The best kind of actor.
Ah, I haven’t seen any of those. The only other things I’ve seen her in are The Iron Lady, where she plays Thatcher’s daughter, taking care of Meryl Streep in bad old age makeup. But that’s pretty much a blink and you’ll miss her role, and Hot Fuzz, but it’s been years since I’ve seen that and I don’t remember her too well.
She’s great in Hot Fuzz. Feisty and randy.
Well, I saw it a few weeks ago, and it was pretty good, I thought. I’d give it a B+/A-. My friend and I agreed it was better than some of its tepid reviews led us to expect. Murray made an excellent FDR, and Laura Linney did well as the mousy distant cousin with whom he has an affair. The dialogue, costumes, set and cinematography were all well done, I’d say.
However, [spoiler]I just didn’t buy that FDR would be carried by an aide three times - right after Their Majesties arrived, when he arrived at the hot dog picnic, and out to the car at the end - in full view of so many people. From all I’ve read, they tried to be much more discreet than that.
The handjob in the car on top of the hill was also a bit… icky.[/spoiler]
But was Murray as good an FDR as [Barry Bostwick?](Barry Bostwick)
Trailer for those wondering.
(Not work safe for violence and language.)
I mostly enjoyed it. Really liked Colman and West as the King & Queen and loved all the royal visit parts of the film, but I never warmed up the mistress story. Just couldn’t bring myself to care about Linney’s character. Murray was as good as I’ve come to expect. They were rather nasty about Eleanor, I thought.
I’d rate it a little lower than Elendil’s Heir, giving it a C+/B. Better then the reviewers led me to expect, but not as good as it should have been.
Well, doesn’t look like Murray will get the nod this year either.
Is he unappreciated, or is it just bad timing (with strong contenders)?
The wiki page says the movie itself did so-so with the critics, even if they credit Murray with good work. Would a unpopular screenplay or poor theatre earnings keep an actor from getting a nod?
They certainly don’t help. A great actor in a great role in a great movie that does great box office is more likely to get an Oscar nomination than if any one of those factors is lacking, I’d say.