Movie Review: ‘The Critic’

While Ian McKellen and the rest of the cast do what they can with their characters, the film around feel more like it belongs on small screens rather than big.

Ian McKellen in 'The Critic'. Photo: Lionsgate.

Opening in theaters on September 13th, ‘The Critic’ adapts Anthony Quinn’s novel ‘Curtain Call’ for the story of a legendary (and legendarily hard to please) theatre critic who looks to escape irrelevance by cooking up a blackmail scheme.

Yet despite boasting a quality cast anchored by British National Treasure Ian McKellen, the movie surrounding them feels like a lackluster effort more at home on PBS than up against big screen thrillers.

Does ‘The Critic’ have the write stuff?

The world of theatre criticism is one you would think is bursting with the possibility of intrigue, infighting and –– at least in this case –– Faustian pacts between those who walk the stage and those who assess their work for the masses.

Sadly, despite that compelling setup, ‘The Critic’ rarely rises above the level of a quiet, quaint TV movie. And that’s even with the likes of Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton and Mark Strong providing good work as the leads.

Script and Direction

(L to R) Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton in 'The Critic'. Photo: Lionsgate.

The weakest link here might be the screenplay, and that’s a real shame. With source material from Anthony Quinn’s novel and a script by Patrick Marber (who has been behind the far more impressive like of ‘Closer,’ and ‘Notes on a Scandal’), ‘The Critic’ nevertheless charts its course in the most languid fashion imaginable.

There is nothing wrong with a film made almost entirely up of scenes of actors in rooms talking if the dialogue crackles and there is real wit or energy on display. Yet the cast struggle with some truly stultifying moments, the whole movie lying around them like a sodden sheet.

While we’re not expecting car chases or big action set-pieces from the leading man (though we’re not sure what his excuse is given that the 93-year-old June Squibb went all ‘Mission: Impossible’ in this year’s ‘Thelma’), there really needed to be more passion on display here.

Director Anand Tucker, meanwhile (a veteran of movies such as ‘Hilary and Jackie’ and ‘Shopgirl’) never quite finds the right tone to really make this one work. Visually, the film is impressively staged, and a few scenes make good use of light and shadow, but it can’t stop the whole thing seeming flat and uninspired.

Performances

McKellen is our focus here, but he’s not alone in performing well despite the script instead of because of it.

Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen in 'The Critic'. Photo: Lionsgate.

McKellen can knock this sort of character out in his sleep, and there are times that he really brings the screenplay to life. Erskine is an interesting enough character –– a bon vivant and influencer before the term was ever really used, he’s a fading peacock of a man, used to his limited level of power and, when the situation changes, struggling with his place in society as the homophobia of the time creeps in on him.

Gemma Arterton

Gemma Arterton in 'The Critic'. Photo: Lionsgate.

Arterton might not be on McKellen’s level, but she certainly has some spikiness and impressive emotion as Nina Land, the actress seemingly resigned to a less-than-satisfying career in the theatre at the mercy of critics such as Erskine. She plays well off of McKellen and Strong, but rarely gets enough of a chance to shine on her own terms.

Mark Strong as David Brooke

Strong has always been a reliable character actor, and here he is handed a slightly meatier role as the media mogul finding his feet following his father’s death, who becomes ensnared into Erskine’s scheme. With his conflicted nature, he’s more than just a victim.

Alfred Enoch as Tom Turner

(L to R) Alfred Enoch and Ian McKellen in 'The Critic'. Photo: Lionsgate.

Playing Erskine’s secretary and lover, Enoch doesn’t have as much to do as the rest, but he does get a few decent scenes, largely playing off of McKellen, but given the chance to make his mark later in the movie.

Supporting cast

Tucker has certainly loaded the film with good actors in small roles; Lesley Manville is fine as Nina’s mother, Annabel, while Ben Barnes and Romola Garai play David Brooks’ son-in-law and daughter, who have their own drama going on. The only downside is that the script never quite makes room for all the characters it has to juggle, so they are often underserved.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Ian McKellen and Gemma Arterton in 'The Critic'. Photo: Lionsgate.

Given the talent involved, particularly in front of the camera, you would hope for better than this film, which tends to meander when it should be raising your pulse. There are some minor pleasures to be found –– McKellen in particular is entertaining, but most critics would probably not give this one a glowing review.

‘The Critic’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.

What’s the story of ‘The Critic’?

Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is the most famous and feared theatre critic of 1930s London. But his decades of dominance are under threat: the outlet for which he works, The Daily Chronicle, is under new ownership following the death of its owner.

The new boss, the previous owner’s son, David Brooke (Mark Strong) is looking to make sweeping changes, adjusting the paper’s political outlook and sweeping out some of the older writers. And Jimmy’s outspoken behavior and homosexual lifestyle don’t fit with the “family values” image Brook is looking to portray.

But when Jimmy notices that Brooke is particularly taken with fetching actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) at a performance, he concocts a plan: he’ll help Nina with her career if she’ll entice Brooke into blackmail scheme so Jimmy can secure his job. But as the twists and turns pile up, things turn dangerous –– and then tragic.