The Critic

The Critic, based on the novel Curtain Call is set in the world of 1930s London. Here, we meet Jimmy Erskine who has been the drama critic for The Chronicle, for decades. He wields his pen and opinions freely, sharply and in deeply cruel ways. Indeed, he feels his audience expects and enjoys this, but it is not a case of a tender soul being hidden behind a role in which they have become lost. No, he was always and truly an unkind sort. Indeed, his entire world seems not far removed from him, as each character in the film acts in unpleasant ways toward one another. Instead of serving to create drama, you may find the effect becoming “why bother?”

As the film begins, the owner of The Chronicle has died and his son, the new owner, has announced changes to the paper, the make it more in line with arch conservative dailies of the time, a fact which should alarm Erskine, who enjoys “a bit of rough trade in the park” which the old owner looked the other way on and which the new one will not. This is important because at this time, homosexuality in England was treated as a criminal offense, punishable by lengthy prison sentences. The new owner, however, has his own secret. He is desperately in love, or at least lust, with an actress, who is involved with a painter-who happens to be doing Erskine’s portrait-and whom Erskine is no great fan.

The painter, married, finds himself unable to quit the affair, and his wife can only tolerate so much. The actress, furious at Erskine, confronts him. Eventually, the two seem to come to an understanding, though she learns of his nighttime proclivities, and he suggests that he will build her career instead of burying it, if only she sleeps with the boss, in order to make him amenable toward Erskine. This synopsis is important because this is the crux of the film and yet it takes nearly the entire length to play out, with a final, rushed third act that lacks the gravity it would have if the characters had been built beyond mere pieces on a board to get them to the point where events could occur that you ultimately do not care about.

The fact the cast includes Ian McKellen, as Erskine, Gemma Atterton as the actress, Lesley Manville as her mother and Mark Strong, as the new owner of the paper, prevents this from being a complete failure and yet there is only so much they can do with stolid direction and script. What is most frustrating is how the film misses every opportunity to soar. It is also quite different to the novel, dropping entire storylines and losing much of the overarching social critique. Indeed, the indictment and examination that could be found here is glossed over. We get a few scenes, but a single line or two once or twice in a film does not make the rest of the work float.

The film is not entirely without merit and this reviewer found themselves not hating the film but rather waiting for the characters to do something worth watching. Despite how terrible a human being these people largely are, they are not uninteresting. A film that wants to tackle homophobia, antisemitism, classism, and social elitism, fails to serve the tale because it turns opportunity into waste, deciding to become a potboiler without enough heat. This is a film which will frustrate many. There is not enough mystery for fans of that genre, and it has little of merit to say about the society it depicts, so cannot act as satire or observation of that. It fails as history and is in no way a romance. What this is, happens to be a technically proficient, well cast misfire that required a stronger director and more daring script.

The Critic is now playing in theaters