Johnny Depp Playing an Oddball in a Period Piece? Nah!
Let me start by saying that this film was highly entertaining, and the screenwriter has earned my respect by making the tough choices, instead of pussyfooting around issues like most of the mindless Hollywood drones would have done. I really appreciate the fact that everything did not have to be tied up in a pretty little bow, and a moral did not necessarily follow from every right or wrong decision a character made.
That said, I would like to explain why this movie did not earn the fifth star (after all, it kept me enthralled the whole time). First, I am getting nearly as sick of Restoration (of Charles II in England) pieces as movies set in WWII concentration camps. It's been done ad nauseum, so let's find a new historical period to exploit!
Second, the film covered a lot of the ground that "Staged Beauty," a far and away superior film, blazed only a year ago. I felt like I had just been duped into voting for a sleazy politician who changed his name to Thomas Jefferson for purposes of name-recognition. I mean, it's fine to use the same characters in two pieces of historical fiction, but honestly! how many films can we watch with plots or subplots about teaching the first female actress on the English stage how to act? (A subplot in this case.)
Third, Johnny Depp plays the same character in every one of his films - the moody, sexy, eccentric loner that makes all the housewives giddy. I understand he's pretty, ladies, but he is in dire jeopardy of falling into the category of cute-but-can't-act with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom.
Otherwise, and please take my earlier criticism with a grain of salt, this is a great film. It isn't the upbeat Lifetime Network B.S. you normally have to put up with from Hollywood, and, moreover, it is not filled to bursting with blood, sex, and pointless explosions. It is just a good story, simply told.
I highly recommend the film, but keep it in mind that it has its minor problems. Like I said earlier, though, despite its issues, the movie kept me glued to my seat the whole time. That's pretty rare these days.Read full review
