Elizabeth (** ½) - Here’s one of my candidates for most overrated film of the year. This is such an unemotional, uninvolving excursion into a story that thinks it’s more interesting than it actually is, that I’m surprised Oprah wasn’t in it.Other than the costumes and set design, I really didn’t see what all the fuss is about. I wasn’t particularly impressed by Cate Blanchett’s lead performance. She seems to be sleepwalking through an underwritten role. I also didn’t give a rat’s ass about the romance between her and Lord Dudley. It seems so forced in some areas, with accompanying swelling music, that I didn’t know if I was supposed to care about it or not. The whole film all I thought about was how much better the period piece Dangerous Beauty was in its storytelling, acting, and even set design and costumes. Both films seem to reflect growing concerns about our country today, particularly the government and religious aspects of it - but only Dangerous Beauty drew me in. This film kept me at a distance only drawing my attention during the final 40 minutes of the film where the true meat of the tale comes into play. The only performance that garnered my full attention was that of Geoffrey Rush as the counselor to Elizabeth. He was fascinating to watch, but he isn’t given nearly enough screen time for me to even recommend this film on a single performance level.The film promises to break through on certain occasions but never really does. I was really disappointed. Here’s to hoping Shakespeare in Love is more successful.
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