Hyde Park on Hudson (***)
I try extremely hard to not read reviews, especially for Oscar hopefuls. At Telluride and Toronto, Roger Michell's Hyde Park on Hudson received mixed-to-negative reviews citing the film's weak screenplay and other off-putting manners. Chalk this up to a guilty pleasure but I found Hyde Park on Hudson charmingly delightful. From the charismatic turn by Bill Murray as FDR to what I found to be a near pitch-perfect performance by Samuel West, the stylistic quality by director Roger Michell was satisfying. The clear problem with the film is the screenplay by Richard Nelson. One thing that annoys me about films sometimes is when a screenwriter (or director) choose to begin a film in what feels like the 45th minute of the film. The film tells the story of Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney), FDR's fifth cousin, and her relationship with the president (Bill Murray) surrounding his visit from the King (Samuel West) and Queen (Olivia Colman) of England in 1939. Nelson chooses to start the film with nearly zero back story for Suckley and the bridge to the famous Hyde Park on Hudson. The film is rushed right into the thick of the story within 10 minutes time. It also doesn't help that the film is overtly misogynistic in tone and view towards women. I can definitely see many people being offended.
Surprise standout Samuel West as "King George" Outside of writing, Hyde Park on Hudson is pure fun and harmlessly amusing. This is one of Murray's best performances, dancing his way throughout the film with magnetism and allure. Laura Linney is fine in a role that brings a lot of frustration to the audience. As Queen Elizabeth, Olivia Colman brings precision and authority to the role that lacked in Helena Bonham Carter's role in Tom Hooper's The King Speech (2010). Colman's role allows for Hollywood to see how good she is and will hopefully lead to more available roles for her to shine. Olivia Williams, a brilliant and underrated actress, is simply outstanding in her minimal screen time as Eleanor Roosevelt. If she had more development added to her character, Williams would be on an Oscar ballot easy. With the small amount she has, Williams still delivers an Oscar- worthy turn. Best-in-show goes to Samuel West as King George IV, who manages to steal the spotlight from the likes of Murray and Colman without even trying. It's a performance that stands among some of the best of 2012 so far. It's an impressive and surprising turn by West. The sets are very well done by Production Designer Simon Bowles while the score by Jeremy Sams stands out as one of the year's creative thus far. "Hyde Park" is loads of entertainment and thoroughly enjoyable.
Read more reviews at The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com)
I try extremely hard to not read reviews, especially for Oscar hopefuls. At Telluride and Toronto, Roger Michell's Hyde Park on Hudson received mixed-to-negative reviews citing the film's weak screenplay and other off-putting manners. Chalk this up to a guilty pleasure but I found Hyde Park on Hudson charmingly delightful. From the charismatic turn by Bill Murray as FDR to what I found to be a near pitch-perfect performance by Samuel West, the stylistic quality by director Roger Michell was satisfying. The clear problem with the film is the screenplay by Richard Nelson. One thing that annoys me about films sometimes is when a screenwriter (or director) choose to begin a film in what feels like the 45th minute of the film. The film tells the story of Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney), FDR's fifth cousin, and her relationship with the president (Bill Murray) surrounding his visit from the King (Samuel West) and Queen (Olivia Colman) of England in 1939. Nelson chooses to start the film with nearly zero back story for Suckley and the bridge to the famous Hyde Park on Hudson. The film is rushed right into the thick of the story within 10 minutes time. It also doesn't help that the film is overtly misogynistic in tone and view towards women. I can definitely see many people being offended.
Surprise standout Samuel West as "King George" Outside of writing, Hyde Park on Hudson is pure fun and harmlessly amusing. This is one of Murray's best performances, dancing his way throughout the film with magnetism and allure. Laura Linney is fine in a role that brings a lot of frustration to the audience. As Queen Elizabeth, Olivia Colman brings precision and authority to the role that lacked in Helena Bonham Carter's role in Tom Hooper's The King Speech (2010). Colman's role allows for Hollywood to see how good she is and will hopefully lead to more available roles for her to shine. Olivia Williams, a brilliant and underrated actress, is simply outstanding in her minimal screen time as Eleanor Roosevelt. If she had more development added to her character, Williams would be on an Oscar ballot easy. With the small amount she has, Williams still delivers an Oscar- worthy turn. Best-in-show goes to Samuel West as King George IV, who manages to steal the spotlight from the likes of Murray and Colman without even trying. It's a performance that stands among some of the best of 2012 so far. It's an impressive and surprising turn by West. The sets are very well done by Production Designer Simon Bowles while the score by Jeremy Sams stands out as one of the year's creative thus far. "Hyde Park" is loads of entertainment and thoroughly enjoyable.
Read more reviews at The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com)