Movie Review - “The Queen”
**** STARS
To say I was pleasantly surprised by this movie would be an understatement. This movie delivered on so many satisfying levels I could hardly wait to write this review. This is the best film of 2006, hands down. Sorry “Borat”, but this movie completely stole the top spot from you with it’s brilliant acting and screenplay.
I was not aware that this movie was partly a soft comedy, or that it was peppered with witty dialog and humor. I was fascinated by the portrayal of the monarchy and royal family. The ridiculous nature of their existence is enough to make you shake your head in disbelief, and then laugh in amazement.
The premise of this movie documents the week Princess Diana died in Paris, and the royal families reaction. To many people in the UK and around the globe, the wait it took for The Queen to acknowledge her death was despicable. The Queen makes decisions through a veil of protection and isolation, creating a mountain of problems for the royals. You see the values and institutions The Queen holds onto slowly fall apart in this movie, and it’s painful to watch. For that moment in time she was seen as irrelevant and was demonized in the media, something she had never experienced.
These moments on screen humanize The Queen and give you the feeling this institution is more important than I would assume. You end of sympathizing with The Queen and realize that she is a human being just like us, riddled with faults and fear. We find out she is vulnerable and genuinely a flawed person. It is her belief that she has been chosen by God to be a vessel for the people of Britain. This movie documents the turmoil of what is right and what is tradition.
I was blown away by Tony Blair’s character, the actress who plays his wife and of course the brilliance of Hellen Miren’s cold, calculating acting. This movie is refreshing in an age of bloated expensive films like “Superman Returns”. Stephen Frears and Mirren will be Oscar favorites come nomination time, I will bet the farm on that!
November 10th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
I couldn’t agree more. This is, IMHO, the best film in a few years. (I am including Crash, Brokeback and Little Miss Sunshine in my assessment!) It is a simple film, with penetrating emotion, mostly created from the lack of emotion from this stoic and emorionally retarded monarchy. It was heartbreaking, funny and perfectly acted. Yes, oscars all around. This movie is a gem! I adored every moment. Steven Frears, thank you, this is what movie-going is all about.