Great performance indeed, but not enough.

Granville 2022-03-25 09:01:20

I knew immediately it'd be my type of movie as soon as the trailer revealed itself on the big screen in front of me - Emma Thompson, Stanley Pucci, a strong female protagnist thriling to do good at work while having struggles in her marraige. .. what not to like?

Another eye-catcher in the trailer is the not-rarely-seen quotes from renowned film critics singing high praises of both actors' performance, such as Emma Thompson has given her best performance, which ironically has become almost the only thing I enjoyed from this film.

No doubt, Thompson is brilliant in bringing to life the reserved frigid supreme court judge who's always engaged with work and making her comprehensive and even charming. And Pucci, who I somehow usually have a soft spot for, feels like a nice silky underlay of bass wittily played to Thompson's guitar solo.

However, during the course of seeing this film, I found myself only being engaged for the first half and slowly drifting away for the second. What went wrong, as I keep digging in my head now? I think the child's crush on the judge is confusingly edited, even though the crush itself does make sense and is needed in revitalizing the taste of love and romance long-forgotten in the judge. That's why, though with great performances from the actors, the film still does not have enough in story telling to be great.

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Extended Reading

The Children Act quotes

  • Jack Maye: Listen, I left this marriage for two days. Two days. *You* left it years ago.

  • Fiona Maye: Well, do join me. I'm afraid all I can promise you is two neglected children.