A lotta times, I'll see a movie that I have no interest in simply because critics seem to love it and I wanna know what all the fuss is about. Sometimes, I end up being very happy that I took the critics at their word, like with "L.A. Confidential" and "October Sky." Other times, I wonder if the critics saw the same movie I did, like with "The Thin Red Line" "The English Patient," or any of the recent Oscar nominees for Best Picture directed by Lasse Hallström ("Chocolat" and "The Cider House Rules"). With "Gosford Park," once again, I saw a movie not because I really wanted to see it, but because so many critics hailed it as a masterpiece. Well, it was no "LA Confidential," but it wasn't "The English Patient" either.
My biggest problem with the movie is that there are so many characters weaving in and out of the story, I'm not sure who was who. When one character is talking about another, I'm not sure who he/she is talking about. That made it difficult for me to follow the story. There are plenty of things I liked, though, the acting being what I liked the most. Also, I liked the differences in the personalities between those who stayed "above the stairs" and those who stayed "below the stairs." Finally, I liked the ending, when the whodunit is solved (though, admittedly, I didn't get it at first, and I practically needed it explained to me).
There are tons of people in the movie, but I won't bore you by listing them all. I'll just tell you who stood out. Kristin Scott Thomas (she was Kevin Kline's ex-wife in "Life as a House"... she was the female lead in "The English Patient") looks beautiful in the movie, and she plays her role well. Maggie Smith (she was in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" as "Professor Minerva McGonagall") is excellent, and when it comes to playing a snooty rich old lady, I can't think of anyone better. Kelly Macdonald (young Scottish actress who was in "Elizabeth" and a very good Gregg Araki movie called "Splendor") is very good as her maid. Bob Balaban (a really great character actor whose face you probably know, though the name may escape you... he was Thora Birch's father in "Ghost World") is very funny as the Hollywood filmmaker. Helen Mirren (very well-respected actress... she was in "Teaching Mrs. Tingle" as "Mrs. Tingle"... she was female lead in the dark flick, "The Cook, the Thief, his Wife, and her Lover"... she was in "Excalibur" as "Morgana," and she was in the notorious movie, "Caligula," as "Caesonia") is great, as usual. The one who probably stands out the most is Clive Owen, a guy who I knew nothing about prior to this movie except that he starred in all of the short films in the BMW Films series, "The Hire" (all of the short films are very good, by the way). Clive Owen has a certain "James Bond" quality that gives him a very powerful presence onscreen. He's a great actor, and he has leading man qualities, so I'm sure that we'll be seeing a lot more from him in the future.
One person who stands out, though not in a good way, is Ryan Phillippe (he starred in "54" and "Cruel Intentions"). I never thought he was a very good actor, and I have no idea why he's in this movie surrounded by great actors and actresses. I don't think he's a horrible actor, I just don't think he's all that good. He has an accent in the movie, and he does a good job with it, but as for the acting, it's not believable. I know that most of my female readers are groaning, thinking that I'm trashing the guy because he's a pretty boy and I'm just jealous. Yes, Ryan Phillippe has tons of female fans, but that has nothing to do with my not liking his work. There are plenty of actors women swoon for who I have the utmost respect for. I like Brad Pitt a lot, he's a fantastic actor. Same goes for Leonardo DiCaprio. There's also Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, and plenty of others. If you're a great actor, I'm a fan, no matter how good-looking, or how ugly you are. I'm sure that many women would love a night with Clive Owen, who's also in this movie, but I have nothing but praise for HIS acting.
"Gosford Park" was directed by Robert Altman, the very well-respected director of some great movies including "M*A*S*H," "Nashville," "The Player," and "Short Cuts." Me personally, I happen to love his flop from the early 80s, "Popeye." Anyone remember that one? With "Gosford Park," Robert Altman directed a movie that most critics will love, but I'm not so sure how the general public will respond. There are many great things in the movie, but it may take more than one viewing for most people to know everything about all of the characters, and it's too slow for most people to wanna sit through again. As for the screenplay, it was written by Julian Fellowes, and this is Julian's feature film debut. The screenplay was "Based on an Idea by Robert Altman and Bob Balaban" (the one who played the Hollywood producer), which is a credit I've never seen before. I'm sure that most Hollywood screenplays are based on an idea, but I've never seen an actual credit for it.
Though it's certainly not a bad movie, "Gosford Park" suffers from being too long, too slow, and simply not engaging enough for me to enjoy it as much as I woulda liked. There are lotsa long, slow movies that I love, "Magnolia" being the first that pops into my head, but with those movies, I totally got sucked into the movie, really caring about the characters and events. I can't say that about "Gosford Park." Still, it did have some awesome acting, and it'll probably be the movie that makes a star out of Clive Owen. Also, I can't deny that the movie had some great moments, Just not enough. Maybe I'll notice more if I watch it again, which I probably will do. If nothing else, I enjoyed it enough to give it another try, which says a lot.
Scale of 1-10: 6