HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
Every so often a film comes out of nowhere to sweep the audience off their feet with charm and a handful of excellent actors. Hyde Park On Hudson is one of those films. It has quietly snuck in the back door but is an inoffensive, funny and sweet film with an impressive cast.
It follows Roosevelt’s (Bill Murray) affair with his distant cousin, Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney), during a visit from the King (Samuel West) and Queen (Olivia Colman) of the United Kingdom in 1939, to persuade the President to help out in the impending conflict with Germany. That’s the official synopsis; in actual fact, the film is about King George VI eating a hot dog, but more on that later.
Bill Murray has an inability to play anyone but Bill Murray, and yet it will never be a bad thing. He plays FDR with a comic conviction that saves the film from trailing into something that would belong on ITV.
Of course there’s an amount of fun-poking at the expense of the Brits; one standout moment shows the King absently waving at a confused American who has no idea who he is. The blank look of the American, the oddly bemused look on George’s face, and his wife’s exasperated expression, sets the tone of the visit, and starts a series of very entertaining moments, including the hot dog subplot. At a picnic held in His and Her Majesty’s honour, hot dogs are to be served. Elizabeth believes it is to humiliate them but after much deliberation, George eventually exclaims he’ll stuff them up his nose until they’re coming out of ‘every orifice’. Highly amusing.
There are two stories set up here. One of them looks at the relationship between Roosevelt and Margaret – fiction based on real events – and the other is the royal storyline. Laura Linney, while good, is cast to one side as the monarchs arrive, with much of the film being devoted to the relationship between the President and the King.
The synopsis leads you to expect a storyline that isn’t entirely fulfilled or given enough time to warrant existence. In fact, she isn’t necessary; the better plot is the political relationship, as it makes for much more compelling viewing. When the film jumps back to the love story, it feels disjointed, out of place and a bit random.
However, it isn’t enough to ruin Hyde Park On Hudson. Such is the level of charm, comedy and excellent storytelling, that this is a hard film not to warm to. It won’t break any barriers but as a period piece it is very well observed, with everything from the costumes to the cinematography a visual treat.
It follows Roosevelt’s (Bill Murray) affair with his distant cousin, Margaret Suckley (Laura Linney), during a visit from the King (Samuel West) and Queen (Olivia Colman) of the United Kingdom in 1939, to persuade the President to help out in the impending conflict with Germany. That’s the official synopsis; in actual fact, the film is about King George VI eating a hot dog, but more on that later.
Bill Murray has an inability to play anyone but Bill Murray, and yet it will never be a bad thing. He plays FDR with a comic conviction that saves the film from trailing into something that would belong on ITV.
Of course there’s an amount of fun-poking at the expense of the Brits; one standout moment shows the King absently waving at a confused American who has no idea who he is. The blank look of the American, the oddly bemused look on George’s face, and his wife’s exasperated expression, sets the tone of the visit, and starts a series of very entertaining moments, including the hot dog subplot. At a picnic held in His and Her Majesty’s honour, hot dogs are to be served. Elizabeth believes it is to humiliate them but after much deliberation, George eventually exclaims he’ll stuff them up his nose until they’re coming out of ‘every orifice’. Highly amusing.
There are two stories set up here. One of them looks at the relationship between Roosevelt and Margaret – fiction based on real events – and the other is the royal storyline. Laura Linney, while good, is cast to one side as the monarchs arrive, with much of the film being devoted to the relationship between the President and the King.
The synopsis leads you to expect a storyline that isn’t entirely fulfilled or given enough time to warrant existence. In fact, she isn’t necessary; the better plot is the political relationship, as it makes for much more compelling viewing. When the film jumps back to the love story, it feels disjointed, out of place and a bit random.
However, it isn’t enough to ruin Hyde Park On Hudson. Such is the level of charm, comedy and excellent storytelling, that this is a hard film not to warm to. It won’t break any barriers but as a period piece it is very well observed, with everything from the costumes to the cinematography a visual treat.