THE YOUNG VICTORIA
RYAN: “The Young Victoria” is a period piece starring Emily Blunt, and it’s getting a lot of buzz because of her Golden Globe nomination.
CAROLINE: I wanted to see this movie pretty much solely for that reason; she’s also on Oscar watch. I wasn’t sure I needed to see another biopic about a British royal, but it’s actually quite good.
RYAN: It does seem there’s a new movie about a queen every year, whether it’s Cate Blanchett or Helen Mirren or Keira Knightley. This one is up there with the best of them, mostly because of the drama and the costumes.
CAROLINE: I didn’t find the costumes as fabulous and fanciful as in “The Duchess,” but they were definitely great. And even though it could be called slow moving, this movie engaged me throughout. The story is compelling, especially at the end.
RYAN: I was totally into it too. I loved the drama and the romance, but the cast is also phenomenal. It’s got Mark Strong, who – I’m gonna say it – has become my new favorite actor.
CAROLINE: Wow.
RYAN: I know. He just never fails to impress. It’s also got Miranda Richardson, Paul Bettany and Rupert Friend, who looks like the love child of Orlando Bloom and Gael Garcia Bernal.
CAROLINE: [laughs’ He was good, but I would have liked the actor in this role to be a little hotter. I was totally digging the love story, but I would have liked it even more if he were cuter.
RYAN: There were two things that took this movie to the next level for me. Number one is the editing. You don’t always notice it, but when it’s well done you do, and the editing in this movie made it all the more watchable. I also loved the rack focus shot of Victoria; it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.
CAROLINE: Yeah, that was a great shot. This movie definitely has some noteworthy moments including a twist I didn’t know about. I’m trying to tie all the royals together in my head; we’ve seen the story of Elizabeth before and several others, but I don’t really know how they all fit together in a time line. Regardless, this is just as good as any other British royal movie we’ve seen in the last few years, and Emily Blunt really is great.
RYAN: I really liked it and it’s definitely a movie I would watch again on cable. I fully support Emily Blunt’s Best Actress Golden Globe nom.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: This movie is gorgeous to look at and fun to watch if you like period films and romance. I’m not sure how many dudes will be into it though.
CAROLINE: It’s definitely more for the ladies and the gays, but I recommend it for all, especially if you’re entering your Oscar pool at work this year.
— RATING —
