The Films of Roger Michell
Persuasion
My Night with Reg
Titanic Town
Notting Hill
Changing Lanes
The Mother
Click here for review.
Enduring Love
Venus (August 1/07)
Venus casts the venerable Peter O'Toole as Maurice, an aging actor who strikes up an unexpected friendship with a sassy teenager named Jessie (Jodie Whittaker). Much of the film revolves around Maurice's plotless exploits with Jessie, and there's little doubt that the viewer's interest is generally held by the palpable chemistry between O'Toole and Whittaker. The low-key vibe is certainly reflected in Roger Michell's understated visual choices, while Hanif Kureishi's script unflinchingly explores the harsh realities of Maurice's increasingly frail state. There is consequently an authenticity to the movie that's intensified by O'Toole's expectedly masterful performance, with the actor seamlessly stepping into the shoes of an ailing yet strangely virile figure. Whittaker more than holds her own opposite O'Toole, offering up a surprisingly complex portrait of a character that - in lesser hands - could've easily come off as petulant and obnoxious. Ultimately, there's little doubt that Venus' effectiveness is directly related to one's ability to sympathize with Maurice's plight - although, admittedly, O'Toole's riveting performance does make it awfully difficult to not find something here worth embracing.
out of
Morning Glory (November 25/10)
An energetic and entertaining comedy, Morning Glory follows ambitious television producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) as she successfully lands a gig at a failing morning show - with the film subsequently (and primarily) revolving around her efforts at turning the program around and handling the on-air talent (including Harrison Ford's Mike Pomeroy). Filmmaker Roger Michell has infused Morning Glory's opening half hour with an almost astonishingly fast-paced sensibility that proves impossible to resist, as the movie's inherently compelling workplace-comedy atmosphere is heightened by the charisma of the various performers. (In addition to Ford and McAdams' stellar work, the film boasts appearances from scene-stealers like John Pankow, Jeff Goldblum, and Ty Burrell.) It is, as a result, slightly disappointing to note that Morning Glory inevitably (and undeniably) segues into an increasingly conventional romcom, with this feeling perpetuated by the ungainly inclusion of several click-flick-type elements within the narrative (including Becky's on-again-off-again relationship with Patrick Wilson's Adam Bennett). The progressively uneven atmosphere is, for the most part, rather easy to overlook, however, as Michell, working from Aline Brosh McKenna's screenplay, does a nice job of compensating for the movie's lackluster elements by offering up a series of downright exhilarating scenes and sequences (ie Ford's character heads out into the field to break a major news story). By the time the sentimental yet satisfying finale rolls around, Morning Glory has certainly established itself as a refreshingly breezy piece of work that should leave most viewers contented.
