I watched Spencer a few months back, and am just getting around to cleaning up my review now - whoops!
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| imdb.com |
Things I didn't enjoy:
The dinner soup scene. Honestly, I get that this was supposed to be artsy and a depiction of her feelings rather than accurate, but I disliked watching it, and don't think it added anything to the movie. It felt out of place and absurdist to me.
Rather than feel compassion or understanding for Diana, in general I just found that she seemed, well, unreasonable and overwhelming. That isn't to say that I felt this way through the whole movie (as there were "unreasonable" moments that made 100% sense as a viewer), but there were a lot of things where I just found her to be incredibly unlikeable because of her actions.
The self-destruction. And I don't mean specifically the emotional frustration or anything, but the self-inflicted injuries and such that happened. I couldn't tell because of how it was shot if these things were supposed to be taken as "real" or as artsy moments like the dinner scene.
What I liked:
Kristen Stewart did a great job. I think she got the look and essence right of Diana and absolutely think she deserves praise for it. Several of her mannerisms felt really right, and I was so impressed and surprised. I've liked Stewart in the past for several roles, so I knew she was a solid actress, but usually I find biopics (especially involving figures like Princess Diana) are more like caricatures than strong acting.
The costumes were fantastic, and they brought the whole thing to life perfectly. Every person was dressed in just the right way, from their more simplistic attire (like Diana's pink top and jeans) to their dinner finery.
I like that we didn't get a regurgitation of the exact same story. We got a snippet of a few days, and this allowed the story to focus on different aspects than we usually get on Diana's life. Because this shows a really emotionally tormenting portion of her life, we get to see both the good and the bad. Many depictions of Diana show her as entirely lovely and just insecure, but this allowed the audience to see a more multidimensional person.
I appreciated that the movie starts by saying that it is a "fable". It's always been a pet peeve of mine that biopics act as though they are completely factually accurate, when we don't know what most closed-door conversations were - we can only imagine.
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Have you seen Spencer? How did you feel about the more artistic take on this period in Diana's life? Do you tend to watch biopics, or avoid them?
I haven't seen the movie, but I do think Kristen Stewart is a much better actress than a lot of people give her credit for. I think biopics can sometimes bridge upon being disrespectful to the person being depicted, sometimes I think we should just let Diana rest in peace. I'm glad to see this movie didn't claim to be entirely factually accurate.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree about the fact that they can be disrespectful. Just because someone was a celebrity, doesn't mean we need to display their life that way. There are pluses and minuses to them, but I agree - I wish they would just let Diana rest.
DeleteI haven't seen this yet. I might watch if it's ever on anything I subscribe to.
ReplyDeleteBiopics are always a mixed bag for me. They can't be 100% factual but then it's kind of why do it then?? I don't know. I have enjoyed a few though. I really liked the Elton John one a few years ago.
It's also harder for me when it's someone I "know" and it's more recent. But Diana had such a complicated life that we don't really understand or know so she'll always be a fascinating subject.
Karen @For What It's Worth
Karen @For What It's Worth
I enjoyed Rocketman as well, and I think for me because it was shown more like a musical? It also helped that Elton John is still alive and was involved in its making.
DeleteYes, agreed. I'll watch a historical one and think nothing of it - but it really isn't any different. It just feels invasive or odd because I was alive when they were/"saw" the events unfold.