The story follows Michael Berg (played by Ralph Fiennes and David Kross), who’s life is inexplicably shattered when a three month love affair that took place when he was fifteen with a much older woman named Hanna Schmitz (Kate Winslet) ends suddenly.  She vanishes without a trace and he doesn’t see her again until he’s a law student, attending Nazi war crime tribunes (the setting is post-WWII Germany).  At one particular trial, six women were being prosecuted, one being Hanna Schmitz.  The story breaks into a million pieces at this point, none of which are really that interesting.

The story is told through extremely long flashbacks.  Fiennes is confined to a few short scenes where he’s mostly just asked to look really sad.  A wounded daughter is thrown in to ensure the audience knows how affected he was by his experience with Hanna, how he could never really be close to another person again.  The flashback device is getting a little old (I blame Titanic for its rise in popularity), and The Reader didn’t use it particularly well either.  The principal reason that defined the characters’ extraordinary actions (I can’t mention it here because it’s somewhat of a spoiler) is extremely weak, and doesn’t allow the audience to empathize with or understand the people onscreen.  The standout here, obviously, is Winslet who shines brighter than all the rest.  She will, of course, be nominated for an Oscar for this performance, and it is well deserved.  However, it’s still a shame The Weinstein Company chose to back this movie as it’s Oscar contender of 2008 instead of John Hillcoat’s The Road.

Up through the war crime trials, the movie holds the audience’s attention, the plot all but resolves itself, and you’ll think it’s time to leave, but the movie keeps going for another hour.  The film posits and interesting position that almost defends low-level SS guards that, if you pay attention, will probably jar you a little, or a lot, as you find yourself siding more with them than with the German justice system.

While The Reader isn’t spectacular, it has it’s moment and is certainly worth seeing over The Spirit, or Marley & Me.

2.5 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 61% – Cream of the Crop: 52%

Knightley plays Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, an 18th century aristocrat that marries up.  She finds herself married to the middle-aged, emotionally distance Duke (played by Ralph Fiennes).  Fiennes plays his character with exceptional subtlety, with a quiet humor that thankfully somewhat lightens this overly heavy handed melodrama.  Georgiana is miserable in her life, with a husband who might be assumed gay based on the way he acts towards his wife if it weren’t for his sexual proclivities with the palace staff.  Georgiana takes up drinking, gambling, and fashion, trying to fill the void left by an unhappy marriage.  During this time, she befriends a fellow royal who is also damaged by the abuse of a horrible husband (stupid, evil men is a frequent motif in the film), and the two become the best of friends (so close, in fact, it leads to as intense a lesbian experience that a PG-13 rating will allow).  As if by cue, the Duke becomes lovers with G’s (as she’s referred to in the film) friend, jading the one thing she had to call her own.  At this point, the film focuses on this love triangle, hence the film’s tagline: There were three people in her marriage.

The film is beautiful to look at.  A budget that only stars like Fiennes and Knightley could demand allows the film to be incredibly ornate, with intricate costumes, elaborate scenes, and to be filmed in regal locations.  Kiera Knightley proves once again that she has more acting chops then many will admit.  This performance can’t help be be recognized, by everyone, as fantastic.  One major drawback is the fact that director Saul Dibb chose to focus on the love triangle in Georgiana’s marriage when he could have focused on the much more interesting facets of her real life.  She was politically active, one of the most celebrated female aristocrats of her time.  She was practically the Sarah Jessica Parker of her day.  And while the plot occasionally lends itself to these subjects, just as it gets interesting, the audience is denied. Even though it’s beautiful and the acting is great, there’s nothing exceptional about The Duchess.

2 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 61% – Cream of the Crop: 66%

The film is directed and written by Martin McDonagh and is his directorial debut. His writing is fantastic, as it’s to be expected since he’s a Tony award-winning playwright. Even though he’s award-winning, the language is pretty rough. Hilarious, but rough (the ‘f-word’ and it’s derivatives are heard an average of 1.18 times a minute in this 107 film). Check out some of the more memorable quotes here. I’d type some of them here, but rumor has it my mom frequents this blog every once in a while. Plus, we all know Big Brother is always watching. Be warned though, the memorable quotes page would definitely be rated R if those hypocritical blowhards at the MPAA had anything to say about it. While the film, is hilarious, it’s also pretty tragic and deals with some dark issues (i.e. child murder, suicide, drug use, the belittling of midgets). Don’t let that deter you, just be prepared.

3.5 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes score: 79%