Movie with Abe: The Young Victoria

The Young Victoria
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Released December 18, 2009

It takes a lot of panache to play a queen. It’s also crucial to the success and uniqueness of a motion picture such as this. There are so many cinematic portraits of royalty and nobility that, insulting as it is to the real-life people on whom the projects are based and whose life stories they tell, they all start to blend together if they don’t have enough distinguishing features. “The Young Victoria” narrowly avoids that fate, thanks to the noble efforts of its cast and a genuinely interesting story of one girl fated for greatness whose ascension to the throne occurred at a young age.

Emily Blunt has the incredible ability to steal the spotlight in witty supporting roles and make even the most minute part absolutely magnificent. She held her own against Meryl Streep and completely bested Anne Hathaway in “The Devil Wears Prada” and illuminated several brief scenes in “Dan in Real Life.” Now she finally has a bona fide lead role, and it’s up to other actors to try to make the most of their scenes in her magnificent presence. Blunt is simply regal as the young princess who became a queen while she was still a child. She has a wonderful presence that demonstrates that she is just as able to deliver in a lead role as she is able to amplify a small role.

The supporting cast makes good use of a number of colorful players who make the film engaging, pleasant, fun, and occasionally even thrilling. Paul Bettany (“A Beautiful Mind”, “The Da Vinci Code”) and Mark Strong (“RocknRolla,” “Body of Lies”) are entertaining as dueling advisors each yearning to whisper their wishes into Victoria’s ear. The long-absent Miranda Richardson (“Spider”) and Jim Broadbent (“Iris”) are great as the feuding mother of Victoria and reigning king William IV. The considerably less experienced Rupert Friend (“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”) makes for a fitting political and romantic match for the lovely Blunt as her cousin and love interest Prince Albert.

The cast is perhaps the strongest element of the film, but it’s still an impressive undertaking in other areas. The costumes and sets are magnificently evocative of the period, and the dialogue is also prim and proper. Beyond that, the story is a typical twisted tale of ascension to the throne complicated by the infighting and efforts of others to take power from the backseat. Victoria’s capacity to maintain her independence and rule despite the influence of so many others makes for a remarkable tale. Victoria comes out stronger as a result of it, and Blunt’s performance is a tour de force only a few fiery speeches short of the same power of Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.” The film is decently fresh and fun, and the performances, especially the lead one from the charming Blunt, differentiate it from the overstuffed library of recent royal releases like “The Duchess” and make it, like Victoria herself, truly individual.

B+

Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Wednesday Oscar Watch with Abe. Every Wednesday, I’m taking a look at the awards chances for all of the films released the previous week. Chime in with your thoughts on the Oscar chances for these films in the comments section.

Avatar
This is one of only two major awards contender movies released this year that I have to see, and I really do plan it seeing it soon. It seems I’d be a fool not to predict its domination at the Oscars, since it has earned mostly glowing reviews and Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Director, Score, and Song. The last time James Cameron was nominated, he won and “Titanic” took home a boatload of Oscars. The interesting thing to note about that is that “Titanic” didn’t even score a nomination for Best Screenplay, and it’s likely “Avatar” won’t due to its sci-fi subject matter and a whole lot of competition. Otherwise, it’s probably safe in the aforementioned four categories, as well as Visual Effects, Sound, Score, Film Editing, Art Direction, and maybe even Cinematography. I’ll be able to make those predictions more securely once actually having seen the film…

Crazy Heart
This film is locked in two categories and that’s probably it, but it will be a serious threat to win in both. The first is Best Actor for Jeff Bridges, who has earned four Oscar nominations over the past forty years and delivers what many, including myself, call a career-best performance. He’s sure to be in the final five, and a strong possibility to beat Colin Firth (“A Single Man”) and George Clooney (“Up in the Air”). Don’t count on a nomination for costar Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose category confusion won’t help her since both categories already have a solid list of contenders. The other category in which this film will get nominated is Best Original Song, where “The Weary Kind” should definitely make it in.

Nine
This majestic musical from the director of “Chicago,” which won Best Picture seven years ago, did extremely well at the Golden Globes with five nominations, but it’s likely that only two to three of those will translate to the Oscars. “Cinema Italiano,” a Best Original Song contender, should have no trouble getting in if the number of nominees stays at five, and Penelope Cruz has done well with precursors to earn a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Plus, she’s last year’s winner in the category, which could either help (we love her!) or hurt (again?) her. With ten nominees in the Best Picture category, “Nine” could have a good shot but may fall out if the so-so reactions to the film are shared by Academy voters. Director Rob Marshall is almost definitely out, but the film should be able to score nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction, as well as Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Ediitng.

The Young Victoria
This period piece opened later and to positive reviews but little buzz. Emily Blunt probably came close to an Oscar nomination three years ago after earning a Golden Globe nod for “The Devil Wears Prada,” and she’ll likely come close again this year. Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) is probably a step ahead of her, and the Best Actress category is sealed a bit too tightly for her to crack it. She still has a shot, so don’t write her off just yet, but don’t hold your fingers either. The film may have a better chance at scoring nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costumes, like “The Duchess” did last year. Blunt will probably have to wait a bit, but someday she’ll be an Oscar nominee.

I can’t imagine any nominations for Did You Hear About the Morgans. That’s it for notable films released this past week. There are only a couple of weeks in the year left! Come back every Wednesday for an analysis of the previous Friday’s theatrical releases and their Oscar chances. Thanks for reading!