While not the most exciting, or even most engrossing, film I've seen this year, The Queen is definitely the most interesting, covering a subject about which I pretty much knew nothing before going in.

And I really did like the traditionalist vs. modernist theme that pervaded the film and its thoughtfulness in regards to the queen's actions: that maybe (likely) she thought that abiding by Blair's suggestions was still throwing tradition out the window, and yet there might have been a part of her that understood -- or perhaps not. When she sees the cards at the end, does she feel guilt for her actions, or is it simple confusion? I saw this with my parents, actually, and there was a lot of discussion afterwards regarding that and the end.

I can't say I was ever blown away by the film, and I do think Mirren's performance was a little over-hyped for me, but I understand the accolades both the film and her performance are receiving and agree with them (only to the extent, though, that I found certain areas in the first half a little tedious).

B+/A- for me.

An interesting entertainment buoyed by Helen Mirren's wonderful performance. B+.

B+

Great. But something was off. Mirren is the only remarkable thing about the film.

A remarkable film with an outstanding performance from Mirren. I was setting myself up for a letdown going in because off all the praise she has been receiving, but I was blown away. She nailed every scene, my favorite being in the river after she crashes her jeep and semi breaks down crying.

A

Well I just saw the film, and count me as very very impressed by Mirren... I agree it is much more low-key than what normally steam-rolls the Oscars, there is no "big" scenes, no breakdowns, it's just such a subtle and layered performance. Just the expressions on her face throughout the film, when she's at the funeral, or talking to Blair at the end, it deserves the Oscar. Originally I was disappointed she spends the whole film behind those goofy glasses because it takes away the eye-acting which normally accounts for a lot of the showiness and wow, but I realized it actually makes the subtle nature of the performance better, the dignified quality of it.

Will sleep on the overall grade, but I have to say that I liked the film a lot. It managed to keep all the conversations and inner workings of the monarchy upbeat and sharp, somehow a very entertaining film despite it's subject matter normally suggesting otherwise. I'm bordering on an A- at this point, will have a full review tomorrow.

Full review for BOF:

The Queen, starring Helen Mirren, takes us deep into the monarchy and British government in the week Princess Diana died. Queen Elizabeth II and her family never had a solid relationship with Diana, and after they neglect to pay tribute to her grave or raise a flag at half mast in her honor, it the country almost turns on the monarchy completely. The film plays the inner conversations and workings of that week, recreating the constitutional world and all its sometimes players, as they try to deal with the fateful tragedy.

Much like 2004's Ray, or 2005's Capote, a lot of the attention of the film has been thanks to its lead performance, rather than the film itself. Helen Mirren has led one of the most dominating campaigns in Oscar history, winning every single critics award she could possibly win in this lead-up month of December, even going as far as winning at an African-American award ceremony, where normally only African-Americans are eligible. But, with all the hype, Mirren's praise and eventual Oscar is deserved. She is brilliant in the role, taking it past pure mimicry, with an unbelievably layered performance, showing all sides of Elizabeth seemingly easy. Part of the beauty of her work is that she needs no big scenes, no breakdowns, no showy moments, she plays the performance low-key and subtle, it is in the expressions on her face as she reacts to what people are saying, the way her mouth and face moves throughout the film, that make it brilliant.

Not to be outdone, the screenplay in The Queen absolutely shines. When dealing with a subject like inner monarchy and governmental politics in Britain, where the film mainly consists of people talking to each other, under normal circumstances there would be an opportunity for the film to bore, especially when dealing with someone like myself who knows nothing of the subject. But the screenplay is so sharp and upbeat, the film does the impossible of actually being very very entertaining throughout, to the point where its 1 hour 39 minutes fly by.

The film isn't necessarily heavy on plot and story complications, rather it is an in-depth look at what happened behind the scenes in that devastating week, re-creating the conversations of how to deal with it. While all the monarchy and government are regal, the film manages to paint them as people, whether it be something like Blair's off-shoot comments to his wife after first meeting Elizabeth, or the Queen driving a car into a river, where in one of the film's better scenes, she sees a large and beautiful stag, a symbolism for life and the beauty of it.

The direction, set design, use of real life footage, and ensemble acting besides Mirren, which would include charismatic Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, and other actors playing the parts of Prince Charles, Prince Philip, and Queen Elizabeth I, are all very solid. The Queen is a very well made film, and following in the footsteps of Ray and Capote, I consider it a strong enough film away from the main performance, to stand on it's own as an Oscar contender and worthy achievement to the most quality films of the year. While in the future it will not be remembered as much as something like The Departed from this year, The Queen stands as a worthwhile drama and tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and her toughness and persistence during the mother country's devastating week.

4/5 stars, or A-.

Review can be found here.

Yeah, I liked it, but everything about it seems a bit overrated, including Mirren's preformance. I thought she was better in Gosford Park. Michael Sheen was very good as Tony Blair, and whoever they got to play Diana was amazing!

My grade: A-.

It was a solid film, but I wouldn't say it was anywhere close to being one of the best of 2006.

I'm also not sure I would award Helen Mirren the Best Actress Oscar myself (I would still give it to Kate Winslet), but she was indeed excellent.

B

Color me incredibly impressed. Maybe it helped I was with a sold out, mature crowd (I saw it at a nice 70 year old campus theater that shows both older movies and art house films), but I really, really enjoyed it, a lot more than I thought I would. I'm torn with whether Dench or Mirren was better. One was rather theatrical (In a good, captivating way), and the other was subtle, reserved and yet incredibly deepening to the character. Damn you dames for good such good actresses! And Sheen was equally impressive, probably the best "traditional" male performance I've seen this year (Not counting Baron Cohen). As for complaints about Prince Phillip, apparently he's got a mouth that frequently gets him into trouble, so Cromwell's obnoxious performance was simply trying to capture him as best as he could, I guess.

****/****, my #3 of the year so far (Behind U93 and Children of Men)

Yup, this movie has grown on me over time. It's pretty fantastic.

Phillip is a cartoon, and was thus played as one. Perfect.

Wow. That was quite excellent. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this movie and how emotional some of the scenes involving Diana and the outpouring of love and support were. Especially moving was the Queen's stroll in front of Buckingham Palace where she reads and is visibly hurt by some of the messages and signs left in memoriam. At that moment I was feeling both sympathy for Diana and how she was treated and for the Queen, who appeared vulnerable and out of her element. And having little to no previous knowledge of the monarchy, how things are run and the circumstances surrounding Diana's death, I found the screenplay absolutely fascinating. I always pictured this movie as some stuffy docu-drama that was unfortunately taking the place of more deserving films in the best picture category (in other words, my personal faves of the year), but I now consider it worthy.

A

Exceptionally well-acted and well-written, though it ultimately feels a bit shallow. Perhaps it's because of the relatively short running time, but I felt the film never really expanded on the themes it was presenting. The story it tells is interesting enough, but it doesn't seem to have much resonance. That said, I found the inside look at the royal family quite enlightening, though I'm doubtful as to the authenticity, and I liked the fact that this was history that I actually was familiar with. Mirren gives a layered, effective performance, as does Michael Sheen - though he grinned a bit too much - and I really found no weak links in the cast. The script is smart and witty, and the score is quite excellent as well. Very well-made, though it didn't have a great impact on me.

B+


This is not quite a worthy Best Picture nominee, but by itself it is a very fine little movie with a very intriguing story to tell. All the praise Helen Mirren's performance is getting, is well-deserved. Her turn is multi-layered, effective, touching and conflicting. Her gestures, her mimicry, the delivery of her lines...it is all pitch-perfect. Who does deserve more acclaim however, is Michael Sheen for his performance as Tony Blair. He plays off Mirren very well. I thought the film was uneven at times and the characters of James Cromwell and the actress who played Blair's wife were way too one-dimensional and caricatures, but on the whole a very interesting effort. Especially the final scene between the Queen and Blair is excellent, when she tells him how it all will happen to him one day as well.

B+

A very solid film, with a perfect running time, imo. Mirren is ovbiously the highlight of the film, and deserved her Oscar. There really isn't anything in the film that irritated me, or anything that I highly enjoyed though. It's just a very solid movie overall. The scene where The Queen spots the Stag after her jeep breaks down is probably my favorite scene however, well, I also like the scene when The Queen is reading the messages on the flowers that the people placed for Diana and when the little girl in the crowd hands her her own flowers.

I saw this again, and I think I liked it better the second time. It really is a little gem of a film, with a fantastic performance by Mirren. It was so multi-layered and powerful. Michael Sheen also was very good and should have received more recognition.

whew. I was under the impression KJ didn't like this movie.

Mirren's performance is truly one of the best female turns of the decade.