The Critic is a period piece film directed by Anand Tucker based on the 2015 novel, Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. As someone who did not read the book, I think this is one of those times when the novel should not have been adapted for the screen. Set in London in 1934, the film follows Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) a well-known and respected theater critic for The London Chronicle. Actors fear him, including an aspiring actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) who desperately wants his approval. Once a new owner of the paper David Brooke (Mark Strong) takes over, he wants to take the newspaper in a different direction. David and Jimmy do not see eye to eye, leading David to threaten to take Jimmy’s position away. To keep his reign of power, Jimmy plans and pacts with Nina to help save each other’s careers.
McKellan is a legend and starred as a character who is a theater critic which caught my attention immediately. The film has a stellar cast including Lesley Manville, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, and Romola Garai. McKellen is a world-class talent and has always been one of the greatest actors. Luckily his performance is watchable as his character is villainous and arrogant. McKellan is great at portraying villainous characters, just look at his performances as Magneto in the X-Men films. There is some darkness in his character portraying Erskine and watching the film there is a reason why McKellan took on this role. McKellan has starred in numerous stage performances since the 1960s. His character in The Critic is gay and McKellan identifies as a gay man as the film touches on homophobia. However, as McKellan shines I can not say the same for the entire cast. Arterton feels slightly miscast, but the performance that stands out is Enoch who plays his black personal assistant and uses him for sex. Also, Manville is completely wasted!
The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and it has been more than 13 years since Tucker released a film. Tucker previously directed films like Shopgirl (2005) starring Steve Martin and Claire Danes and Leap Year (2010) starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. As someone who has not seen all of Tucker’s films, he intended to film a thrilling story. The Critic has an interesting premise, but the director’s talents do not shine in this film. The screenplay by Patrick Marber comes off as dry as the film explores the power of a critic’s words, but in the end, it’s all just an opinion. It’s a fascinating idea to explore a character who is a manipulated critic, but it’s a bore and slow-moving.
This film is categorized as a thriller filled with betrayal, blackmail, and deception, but there is little thrill or tension. When the climatic moment hits, audiences will be checked out however, it gets gripping in the last 40 minutes of the film. It’s a slog and forgettable, but McKellan makes it watchable.
I give this film 5 out of 10 stars.
