Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: Queen Victoria, in mourning for her husband lost to typhoid, brings her monarchy to a standstill, finding solace only in her Scottish servant Mr. Brown.
Biased, pithy comments: Brilliantly acted, this movie unfortunately settles for something less than what it starts out as---sort of a Victorian ``In The Line of Fire,'' complete with the slow-motion shot of a security guard running in slow motion shouting ``NOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo'' in a slowed-down voice way. Once you get over that, you have a very nice costume drama, with Dench owning her part, Connolly at home with the material, and Sher as the unctuous Disraeli. I'd recommend it, but it didn't soar, and I felt it fell flat compared to something more daring (like Ang Lee's ``Sense and Sensibility'') from roughly the same period.
Other Notes: Reviews are definitely against me---people were enraptured by the performances and the subtlety of the relationship. I'd still have to go with something more dynamic, like ``Elizabeth'' or ``Madness of King George.''
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Judy Dench, Billy Connolly, Antony Sher.
Directed by: John Madden