The Critic - Film Review

The Critic - Film Review

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Posted 2024-09-27 by Nicholas Gordonfollow
Here is an agreeable British period drama with a sharp edge. Ian McKellen plays Jimmy Erskine, an elderly, gay, alcoholic theatre critic known for writing brutal takedowns of West End shows. As The Critic begins, Erskine is in danger of losing his plum perch after the proprietor of the newspaper he writes for dies, leaving a son (who is no fan of Erskine's acerbic style) to helm the paper. Attempts by Erskine to save his job follow, leaving a story which is twisty, lively, and pleasantly entertaining.



Feared throughout the theatres of 1930s London, Jimmy Erskine has written for The Daily Chronicle for several decades. His status as taste arbiter is absolute: he is ushered into theatres by fawning staff members and afforded a private table during intervals to jot down his notes. Erskine is aided by his secretary and live-in lover Tom (played by Alfred Enoch), who types up Erskine's (usually scathing) copy after each show.

But the old order crumbles when the owner of The Daily Chronicle dies. Enter the son, Viscount Brooke (Mark Strong), who wishes to make the paper leaner and less about the hit-jobs Erskine specialises in. This decree comes in response to Erskine's latest target, an actress named Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), who Erskine flat out calls fat and untalented. Land is understandably distraught. Brooke is also extremely unhappy with the characterisation as he is secretly infatuated with the actress.

But Erskine really faces problems when he runs afoul of decency laws and is arrested (a frequenter of London's gay beats, Erskine is finally nicked after kissing Tom in public). Brooke now has cause to dismiss Erskine. But the critic is not going down without a fight. He learns of Brooke's infatuation with Land and enacts an underhanded plan to get his job back.

Loosely based on Anthony Quinn's novel Curtain Call and directed by Anand Tucker, The Critic is an easy watch. Ian McKellen is wonderful as the slippery Erskine. The rest of the star-heavy cast also do well. Gemma Arterton shines as Nina Land, someone who self-doubts at every moment and is swayed far too easily. Mark Strong is also a highlight as the always-poker-faced Brooke, projecting strength, but unable to stand up to Erskine.

There is probably too much going on in The Critic. There are definitely underdone characters. Ben Barnes plays a painter in love with Land who often seems like someone hanging around without purpose. Erskine's lover Tom, we also learn nothing about. There are also many hints at themes which are never explored, from the repression of homosexuality to Erskine's blatant misogyny, to the fascism lurking on England's streets. The film does look stylish, the period's landscapes and costumes replicated effectively. And the whole thing hangs on the wonderful turn from Ian McKellen, commanding as ever. The Critic doesn't go deep but is satisfying just the same.

The Critic is in cinemas October 3.

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294566 - 2024-09-27 01:19:27

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