BEFORE: Moving from a biopic of a poet to one of an author - linking from "Sylvia", Gwyneth Paltrow was also in "Proof" with Anthony Hopkins (last seen in "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"), and he's going to get me to the Hitchcock chain. Wait, never mind that, an actor named Julian Firth carries over from "Sylvia", he's in this one too.
THE PLOT: C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned Christian theologian, writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets a spirited poet from the U.S.
AFTER: I don't know if it's the fact that I work late on Thursday nights, but it's quite difficult for me to get through a whole film after midnight on that day - I tend to fall asleep and then I have to stay late after work on Friday to finish up. This tends to be less of a problem if a film is quite exciting and holds my interest - which is my roundabout way of saying that this film was very boring. Considering that I've got a couple of stuffy Merchant/Ivory films coming up this weekend, I fear this situation will repeat.
This one did sort of pick up a bit in the second hour, a secret marriage supplies some intrigue - to say that C.S. Lewis and Joy Gresham had an unconventional relationship for its time is a bit of an understatement. Some might have trouble reconciling how a prominent Christian theologian can have a secret marriage, but I think it's harder for some people to realize that for some people love, sex and marriage don't always occur in that exact order.
The other point made here is the difference between British people and American ones, and it's an emotional one. Saying that Brits are tough nuts to crack who keep their emotions bottled up, while Americans are brash and more emotionally open seems like a set of stereotypes, but that doesn't mean that they're not also true.
This was also a great way to wrap up the week, bringing together theology with the author biopic, a dose of reality to counteract the heaven/hell motifs of "Elmer Gantry" and the past/future lives B.S. of "The Master" - the question of why God allows suffering is once again prominent at the end of this film, and not even someone strong in the Christian faith can really supply a valid answer.
Also starring Debra Winger (last seen in "Rachel Getting Married"), Edward Hardwicke (last seen in "Love Actually"), Julian Fellowes (last seen in "Tomorrow Never Dies"), James Frain (last seen in "Where the Heart Is"), Joseph Mazzello (last seen in "The Social Network"), John Wood (last seen in "The Purple Rose of Cairo"), Roger Ashton-Griffiths (also last seen in "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger").
RATING: 5 out of 10 toasted tea cakes
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