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| Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds |
Wes's Grade: B-
Mirren shines in the uneven but compelling true drama "Woman in Gold"
The compelling, slightly uneven new drama "Woman In Gold" is a well-acted, intriguing blend of art history and personal docudrama, with an heavy emphasis on the latter. Though it relies too heavily on flashbacks, the solid casting and the worthy story make "Gold" for satisfying viewing, lifting it above some its typically calculated, true-story plotting. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), sets out to retrieve valuable family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt's famous painting 'Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I', or known by some as "Woman in Gold." With her inexperienced yet energetic young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks upon a significant legal and personal battle that takes her back to her native Austria and the U.S. Supreme Court. Directed by "My Week With Marilyn's" Simon Curtis and written by British playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell, the entertaining, well-performed "Woman in Gold" works primarily due to another impeccable, poignant performance from Oscar-winner Mirren as the late Altmann (who died in 2011 a very wealthy woman), and even more remarkable, it works well with (or maybe in spite of) the teaming with Reynolds. Reynolds turns in another of his serviceably bland turn, who isn't necessarily miscast as much as it is baffling casting: why weren't there better actors available for the role (and he doesn't really look like the real Schoenberg, who was balding); he isn't terrible, his charming presence designed to add an odd-coupling levity to the proceedings, and it's these moments that tend to give it an uneven feel. As well, "Woman in Gold's" tends to plod along with an unnecessary reliance on flashbacks, detracting from the contemporary story; most memorable of these is a compelling turn from "Orphan Black's" Tatiana Maslany as a young Maria, who gives some heart and tenderness to a redundant backstory. Still, there are some moving, uplifting moments from the story (have tissues handy for that final, wrenching flashback when the young Maria must say goodbye to her folks) and the always sublime Mirren, whose shining confidence carries the movie on her back. "The Woman in Gold" is an above-average, well-acted true tale that would've worked even better with less flashback and more Mirren. If you want even more, check out a documentary on the same subject, titled "Adele's Wish."
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