I had high hopes for Hyde Park on Hudson. I love bio-flicks, especially when British royalty are involved. I was somewhat disappointed with this film though. Despite its short run time of an hour and thirty minutes, it maintained an incredibly slow pace. I kept wondering when something exciting or dramatic would happen, but for the majority of the movie it was just meaningful looks, unexcited dialogue, and artistic shots of the landscape or details of the house.
I was not expecting the depiction of FDR as a serial adulterer. Perhaps I need to brush up on my U.S. history, but my view of FDR as this humble savior of our country during a time of extreme hardship was dashed to pieces. What replaced it was this view that he was a rather self-centered man, neglectful of his marriage and insensitive to how his actions affected those around him. I suppose the reality is that he lies somewhere in between those two extremes. Never-the-less, Hyde Park on Hudson threw me for a loop.
I suppose what the movie lacked in plot it made up for in character development. I felt that the movie was excellently cast. Each actor played their role with both sophistication and overt characterization. Particularly enjoyable for me were the performances by Olivia Williams as the brassy Eleanor Roosevelt, Samuel West as a very likable George VI, and Olivia Colman as Elizabeth, his wife.
I was not expecting the depiction of FDR as a serial adulterer. Perhaps I need to brush up on my U.S. history, but my view of FDR as this humble savior of our country during a time of extreme hardship was dashed to pieces. What replaced it was this view that he was a rather self-centered man, neglectful of his marriage and insensitive to how his actions affected those around him. I suppose the reality is that he lies somewhere in between those two extremes. Never-the-less, Hyde Park on Hudson threw me for a loop.
I suppose what the movie lacked in plot it made up for in character development. I felt that the movie was excellently cast. Each actor played their role with both sophistication and overt characterization. Particularly enjoyable for me were the performances by Olivia Williams as the brassy Eleanor Roosevelt, Samuel West as a very likable George VI, and Olivia Colman as Elizabeth, his wife.