(Written by Intern, Sean Barry)
The Critic aptly rewards patient viewers by steadily improving in quality as the story progresses. Despite a relatively slow beginning, tensions snowball until its gripping conclusion. A surprising story structure ultimately makes this project more than a simple star vehicle for veteran actor Ian McKellen. Gorgeous period-accurate costumes, sets, and dialogue elevate this classy genre mish-mash, but some may find sudden shifts in tone too jarring given its initial mundanity.
Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) works as a theater critic for a prominent newspaper in 1930s England. His harsh and pompous reviews often leave the careers of performers on stage in ruins. His employer, David Brooke (Mark Strong), detests Jimmy’s pernicious tendencies, and after being arrested for an incident while publicly intoxicated, Brooke has an excuse to fire him. Unable to function without his respectable position, Jimmy concocts a plan to lie and blackmail his way back into the newspaper. With help from apprehensive assistant Tom (Alfred Enoch), actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), in desperate need of Jimmy’s favor, is convinced to join in. Chaos unsurprisingly ensues, dangerously rupturing the lives of those implicated in its path.
As expected, McKellen is a privilege to watch as a crotchety old man infected with his own self image. Subtleties and intricate characterizations have been perfected from a career full of near perfect performances. As a result, Jimmy is more than a curmudgeonly senior. He has reason and method for his choices, given his seasoned background. Even with McKellen’s character taking center stage, his talented co-stars are thankfully not overtly relegated to the background. Gemma Arterton’s lavish portrayal of a struggling thespian is intriguing, and scenes with McKellen accentuate her ability to hold her own. Alfred Enoch spends most of his screen time alongside McKellen, and he conveys plenty with a simple facial expression.
Dialogue is appropriately elevated with proper diction and mannerisms common for educated folk of the time. Although never becoming entirely indecipherable, some language may lean too pretentious for the average viewer. Characters may not feel completely fleshed out or three-dimensional due to their lack of distinct backstory or motivation. In turn, certain decisions seemingly come about solely to spur drama. People occasionally depart the narrative in manners unsuitable considering their prior relevance. Nonetheless, The Critic remains as a deeply fascinating study of what one determined man can do when all his privileges are quickly stripped away.
Will The Critic return to his former glory? Find out when it drops in theaters on Friday, September 13.
