So, you’ve done three Disney backed High School Musicals and a body swap comedy which required you to play topless basketball but you want to be taken seriously, so what do you do?  You take the lead in a film about Orson Welles, a legend of stage, screen and radio who none of your tweenage fans will ever have heard of, directed by one of populist independent film’s leading directors, Richard Linklater.  Makes sense, no?

Zac Efron plays Richard, a schoolkid with a passion for music and drama who lucks into a role in Orson Welles’ feted 1937 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as Brutus’ man-servant Lucius.  What follows is a very much a two-handed story as we see Richard work his way into the company and we see Welles’ effect on the actors with whom he works and the ego at work within the company.  However, for all of the attention that Efron undoubtedly generates as teen heartthrob du jour, this is very much not his movie, this film belongs to Orson Welles.

Christian McKay as Orson Welles completely dominates this movie as he sweeps across the screen with all of the bluster and ego as the great man could himself have mustered.  It is a pleasure to bask in the reflected glow of Welles’ genius throughout this film and McKay, with his startling physical and vocal resemblance to Welles, makes you want to be permanently in the presence of a man who is in equal measure frustrating and brilliant.  It is a tour de force performance that makes the film.  However, this does mean that the supporting performances are muted in comparison and, in particular, the female roles led by Claire Danes and Kelly Reilly seem to fade into the background.  Likewise, Eddie Marsan who was so intense in Mike Leigh’s Happy Go Lucky is subdued as the theatre owner.

For all of the fluff and romantic comedy elements which fizz around this film, the unquestionable highlight of the film is the recreation of Welles’ first night of Caesar which is superb and I could have quite happily watched a recreation with these actors of the whole 95 minutes of Welles’ adaptation, such is the power of the play.

Unfortunately, the main issue I have with this film is Efron himself.  Clearly as a old-time song and dance man, this is the type of film he should be able to make in his sleep.  However, he just felt like an anachronism in a period piece from the opening shot of him at school to singing Welles’ Brutus to sleep.  I couldn’t shake the idea that he belonged in a different era which I found constantly distracting.  Whilst some of this can be put down to the fact that he is a cultural icon of this decade for many teenagers, I didn’t have the same problem watching Hairspray so I can only put it down to the possibility that the 30s are not the decade for him and maybe the costumiers failed to make him look suitably of the period, maybe the California tan doesn’t help.  However, it is not such a big problem that the film can’t overcome it.

An enjoyable romp albeit one where the focus is on the wrong man.  There is no doubt about it, a star is born in Christian McKay.

7/10

List time is upon us on The Movie Overdose! Tom and Sam kick it off with their favourite actors, actresses, supporting performances, directors and sequences of the year. Not before, however, they whisk themselves back to the Mercury in 1937 for Me and Orson Welles, talk about a live-action Nutcracker, what the future holds for Spiderman 4, Jennifer’s Body, The Barbarian Invasions and Steven Seagal: Lawman.

Download The Movie Overdose Episode 45

Email us, tweet us, Facebook us, subscribe to us… do anything you want to us with the links on the left.

List time is upon us on The Movie Overdose! Tom and Sam kick it off with their favourite actors, actresses, supporting performances, directors and sequences of the year. Not before, however, they whisk themselves back to the Mercury in 1937 for Me and Orson Welles, talk about a live-action Nutcracker, what the future holds for Spiderman 4, Jennifer’s Body, The Barbarian Invasions and Steven Seagal: Lawman.

Download The Movie Overdose Episode 45

Email us, tweet us, Facebook us, subscribe to us… do anything you want to us with the links on the left.

A teenager Richard (Zac Efron) is cast in a Mercury Theatre production of “Julius Caesar” in 1937, with Orson Welles (Christian McKay). This film follows Richard from being cast to opening night, and what happens to him in between.

This film shows Orson Welles mainly through the eyes of a young actor who was cast in his latest theatre production. Richard is seen growing up in a couple of weeks during the rehearsal process of the play and seeing Orson in action. How he got people to do what he wanted when he wanted, and if they did not like that they would not work with him ever again. He wanted people to tell him what he wanted to hear, even if this meant lying. He liked very much to be told he was fantastic. Richard quickly finds out that a life in the theatre is not exactly how he imagined it to be.

Richard’s relationship (if you can call it that) with Sonja shows how naive he is, when he actually believes that she could be in love with him. Her real interests are making herself more well-known and getting to know people who are of high standing in the theatre and even Hollywood.

The film did not seem like it would actually see release at the cinema but eventually it did in the UK last week, I do not really see it doing that well at the box office because of the subject of the film. Maybe Zac Efron will pull in some of the younger people but I do not think they will find this entertaining enough compared to his other films. I have to admit that I was quite surprised that I liked this film a lot, I thought it looked entertaining in the sense of seeing what happens behind the scenes of a Broadway/Theatre production. Yes I do like to watch things like this and see the motions actors/directors etc go through when preparing for a production.

I had heard that Zac Efron’s performance has surprised a lot of people and also it has been claimed that this role has taken him away from his HSM fame and type of performance. I have to totally agree with this it is a different performance from Efron and really has shown a glimpse of what type of actor he can be, the potential he has lets just hope he continues to grow as an actor and chooses roles like this one to really help prove himself.

Christian McKay as Orson Welles was truly remarkable, and looked a lot like him at times as well which was just fantastic. He commanded the scenes in which he was in all the time and really grabbed the attention of the audience. It was such a brilliant breakout role and he has been nominated for awards.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film and found that it really flew over as you got totally consumed into the production and wanting to know how it will go, will something go wrong, will everything be perfect etc. Which I think is a good way to have a film, when you are not entirely sure in which direction it is going in.

Sherlock Holmes is opening on the 26th of December in MAYO MOVIE WORLD CINEMA .

Synopsis: In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Starring: Robert Downey, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, James Fox

Director: Guy Ritchie

- John David

Sherlock Holmes is opening on the 26th of December in S.G.C. ENNISCORTHY.

Synopsis: In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Starring: Robert Downey, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, James Fox

Director: Guy Ritchie

- John David

Sherlock Holmes is opening on the 27th of December in S.G.C. DUNGARVAN .

Synopsis: In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Starring: Robert Downey, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, James Fox

Director: Guy Ritchie

- John David

Me and Orson Welles is a coming-of-age story set in the heady world of New York theatre. Efron plays a teenage student who lucks his way into a minor role in the 1937 Mercury Theatre production of “Julius Caesar,” directed by 22-year-old genius Orson Welles. In the words of Kaplow’s protagonist: “This is the story of one week in my life. I was seventeen. It was the week I slept in Orson Welles’s pajamas. It was the week I fell in love…”

In a dynamic new portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country

Starring: Robert Downey, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, James Fox
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenwriter: Guy Ritchie, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg
Studio: Warner Bros.

MOVIE TRAILER :

For everyone who already frequents my blog, my blog is now featured on Haligonia.ca, a local website that features all sorts of local content, which is pretty damn’d awesome if I may say so myself. I am thrilled to welcome a whole new fleet of Haligonians to the wonderful world of Glen Matthews.

And now, to welcome said fleet.

Every good blog (and let me tell you, my blog is effing awesome) has a general theme. This blawg’s theme is me, The Glen Matthews. But what do I do? I am an actor! Fun, right? SO the purpose of this blog is to invite you to follow me in my various exploits in the film industry!

This is my headshot. I like it, it covers up my self-loathing very well!

Most notably, I worked on MOBY DICK, featuring Ethan Hawk, William Hurt, Gillian Anderson, and a bunch of other actors who are much prettier than me (click here for blog entries regarding Moby Dick). A couple of weeks ago, I worked on Cory Bowles‘ second short film RIGHTEOUS, which of course, I blogged about. Last year, I went to Sundance Film Festival with the short film TREEVENGE (blogged the entire adventure to Park City, Utah here) directed by Jason Eisener, who is currently in pre-production for his first major motion picture HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, to be shot here in the Spring.

Impressed? You shouldn’t be, it’s merely a series of lucky encounters & mind-blowing coincidences that make quantum physics look like a set of building blocks.

You can check out my page on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glen-Matthews/) where you can watch plenty of videos of me doing things, and determine whether or not you can tolerate me enough to become a fan of mine. I implore you to do so, it improves your life!

All that I hope to do is offer a definitive timeline to accompany my raise to fame & riches (lots of riches), and my inevitable battle with Ellen Page for Halifax’s affection. I invite you to follow my adventures in the film & theatre industries and live your life vicariously through mine.

-Glen

PS. This entry was riddled with truthy sarcasm. The worst kind.

PSS. Seriously, please like me.

Gerard Butler (Law Abiding Citizen, Gamer) will star in “Coriolanus”, directed by Ralph Fiennes. The film is billed as a new version of Shakespeare’s Rome-set political and family drama.

Butler will be playing Aufidius, a Volscian commander. The cast already includes William Hurt and Eddie Marsan. What do you think?

Lukas Eggen

El chico malo de Inglaterra, el genio de Hatfield nos sorprende con otra de sus producciones costumbristas del bajo mundo inglés, esta vez con un tema clásico de la literatura: Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie se aleja un poco de su toque independiente para hacer una mega producción con un reparto de lujo, digno de Hollywood.

Peleas callejeras, caraduras, borrachos, asesinatos y todo a lo que nos tiene acostumbrados Ritchie sumado a un estilizado Robert Downey Jr. definiendo un deslumbrante Holmes. 

Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes)

Rachel McAdams (Irene Adler)

Jude Law (Dr. John Watson)

Mark Strong (Lord Blackwood)

Eddie Marsan (Inspector Lestrade)

 Zac Efron  กับก้าวใหม่ที่ไม่ใช่ High School Musical

Johny depp แจ้งเกิดจาก A Nightmare on Elm Street แล้วเบนเข็มมาเล่นหนังดังๆของผกก.มากฝีมือจนโด่งดังเป็นซุปเปอร์สตาร์ ได้ชิงสามออสการ์และประคองความเป็นดาราเจ้าบทบาทไปกับนักแสดงขวัญใจชาวประชาได้ด้วยดี

Leonardo DiCaprio เป็นที่รู้จักในวงกว้างมากๆจากหนังที่เรารู้กัน แต่ก่อนหน้านั้นเจ้าตัวชิงออสการ์ตัวแรกไปแล้วด้วยวัยเพียง จากหนัง What’s Eating Gilbert Grape ที่เล่นคู่กับ Depp นั่นเอง ปัจจุบันลีโอยังได้ชื่อว่าเป็นนักแสดงมากฝีมือที่ออสการ์หลงรัก และเป็นนักแสดงคุ่บุญของ Martin Scorsese แม้ว่าหน้าตาในตอนนี้จะไม่ใสกระชากใจสาวเหมือนเมื่อก่อนแล้วก็ตาม

ล่าสุดกับยุคนี้ มีสองดาราหนุ่มหน้าตาดีที่แจ้งเกิดจากการเป็นหนุ่มน้อยใต้ชายคาดิสนีย์ คนแรกคือ Shia LaBeouf ที่ดังตู้ม ตู้ม ตู้มไปกับสองภาคของ Transformers และหลากหนังที่มี Steven Spielberg ทำหน้าที่อุ้มชูคอยอุปถัมภ์ และล่าสุดเจ้าตัวไปไกลกว่าที่คิด ด้วยการรับเล่นในหนังภาคต่อ Wall Street 2 ที่ต้องงัดอะไรมาใช้มากกว่าหน้าตาและทักษะความสามารถวิ่งข้ามทะเลทรายหรือความเก่งกาจในเรื่องเทคโนโลยี

อีกคนนึงก็คึอคนที่เรากำลังพูดถึง Zac Efron ที่เริ่มต้นเส้นทางการเป็นขวัญใจสาวๆคนใหม่ด้วยการเล่น HSM เรื่อยมาถึงภาคสามที่ได้โชว์โฉมบนจอหนัง ต่อด้วยหนังขายเสน่ห์อย่าง 17 Again และเกือบจะได้รับบทนำใน Footloose แต่แล้วเขาก็ยอมปฏิเสธบทนั้นไปให้ Chace Crawford หนุ่มที่หล่อในระดับผู้ใหญ่กว่า และหันมาเล่นหนังเล็กๆแต่ได้โชว์ความสามารถได้เต็มที่มากกว่าหน้าท้องและใบหน้าเปื้อนรอยยิ้มสะกดใจสาว

ซึ่งการตัดสินใจครั้งนี้จะเป็นผลดีต่อตัว Zac หรือไม่ แฟนๆร่วมพิจารณาได้จากตัวอย่างแรกนี้เลยครับ!

Me and Orson Welles เป็นหนังของผู้กำกับ Richard Linklater เจ้าของผลงานฝังใจใครหลายๆคนอย่าง Before Sunrise และ Before Sunset และกำลังจะกลับมาสร้างความประทับใจกับภาคต่อ The School of Rock ด้วย แต่ตอนนี้เจ้าตัวขอลุยงานหนังเล็กๆสักเรื่องก่อน

หนังได้ Zac Efron มารับบทเป็น Richard Samuels เด็กหนุ่มอายุสิบเจ็ดที่ความฝันที่จะได้เล่นละครบอรดเวย์เป็นจริง เมื่อเขาได้โอกาสร่วมเล่นละครบรอดเวย์โศกนาฎกรรมรันทดเรื่อง Julius Caesar ซึ่งดัดแปลงมาจากบทประพันธ์ของ William Shakespeare ที่มี Orson Welles (รับบทโดย Christian McKay) เป็นผู้กำกับ และเขาจะได้เรียนรู้ถึงศิลปะการแสดงรวมถึงความจริงที่น่ารังเกียจของเบื้องหลังวงการนี้ด้วย

บทบาทในหนังเล็กๆเรื่องนี้ของแซคนั่นก็ไม่ฉีกจากภาพเดิมๆนัก หรือจะเรียกได้ว่าเป็นรอยต่อชีวิตจาก HSM เลยก็ว่าได้ เพราะยังต้องร้องเล่นเต้นรำเหมือนเดิม เพียงแต่ไม่มีเพื่อนฝูงและจบจากไฮสคูลแล้ว รวมทั้งนี่ยังเป็นหนังที่ต้องย้อนสมัยไปค.ศโน่นเลยด้วย ซึ่งอีกหนึงตัวละครสำคัญอย่าง Orson Welles ที่เป็นผู้กำกับที่มีตัวตนอยู่จริง พูดอย่างนี้อาจฟังดูตลกร้ายไปหน่อย เพราะเขาเป็นถึงผู้กำกับระดับโลกเจ้าของหนังครองตำแหน่งดีที่สุดของโลกเรื่อง Citizen Kane ที่ในปีนั้น เขาพาหนังที่เป็นงานกำกับเรื่องที่สามนี้ชิงเก้ารางวัล และเฉพาะตัวเขา เข้าชิงถึงสามสาขาด้วยกัน ทั้งเขียนบท กำกับ และแสดงยอดเยี่ยม ซึ่งนี้แทบจะเรียกได้ว่าเป็นปรากฏการณ์และปาฏิหาริย์ เพราะหลังจากนั้นเขาก็ไม่เคยได้เข้าชิงออสการ์และมีผลงานเข้าตากรรมการอีกเลย

หนังยังได้ Claire Danes อีกหนึ่งสาวงามมาร่วมจอกับสองหนุ่มด้วย ซึ่งเธอก็เคยรับบทในหนังย้อนยุคอย่างนี้มาแล้วใน Evening

Timothy Spall fits Mary Stockley with a new fashion accessory.

(IFC) Timothy Spall, Julie Stevenson, Eddie Marsan, Michael Norton, Tobias Menzies, Clive Francis, Claire Keelan. Directed by Adrian Shergold.

An eye for an eye is what the Old Testament recommends in terms of justice. For two thousand years, Western justice has more or less followed this dictate, particularly when it comes to capital crimes. That begs the question; how are the ones charged with exacting judicial vengeance affected by it?

Albert Pierrepoint (Spall) is a grocer in Depression-era Britain. Somewhat shy, he romances Annie (Stevenson), a clerk at a nearby shop and eventually marries her. Times are hard and he has applied to the British Home Office for a position as hangman in order to bring in some extra income. This isn’t a decision come to lightly – he has several other members of the family who have performed this office. As it turns out, Pierrepoint is remarkably efficient, able to move prisoners from cell to noose to corpse in less than a minute. He quickly becomes one of the most sought-after hangmen in Britain because of it.

This efficiency catches the eye of Field Marshall Montgomery (Francis), who is looking for someone to dispense British justice to Nazi war criminals convicted at Nuremberg. Pierrepoint is enlisted and is flown to Germany, where he is given a somewhat deferential Army assistant (Menzies) to help him with the task of executing dozens of Nazis. When he returns home, he discovers that the press has discovered his identity and he is hailed as a national hero, to his amazement.

With the income from his work in Germany he is able to buy a pub and leave the grocery business. At his pub, he meets James “Tish” Corbett (Marsan), a garrulous man who is able to bring Pierrepoint (who he calls “Tosh”) out of his shell. The two often sing duets at the piano, and they become close friends. Tish, who is separated from his wife, has taken up with a mistress (Keelan) who often derides him publically. While Pierrepoint and his wife are less than enthralled with the mistress, they take solace in having a friend who doesn’t treat him like a pariah for his ghoulish sideline.

As the years pass, so do British attitudes towards capital punishment. Once feted as a national hero, now Pierrepoint is reviled as a murderer. At first, Pierrepoint is puzzled and troubled by this change of attitude. However, his own attitude is called into question when he finds his friend Tish in his docket awaiting execution.

Based on a true story of Britain’s most notorious executioner, the film is rather matter-of-fact and even clinical about the executions that Pierrepoint performs. Spall, best known as Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter movies, plays Pierrepoint as a meticulous, almost business-like executioner, well-versed in the physics of hanging and able to tell from height and weight exactly how to set the noose in order to kill the convict cleanly and quickly. His performance is exemplary and reminds us that he is one of Britain’s finest actors with a background in Shakespeare and Mike Leigh films before coming to the Potter universe.

It was also a pleasant surprise to see Stevenson, who I became a big fan of in Truly Madly Deeply back onscreen. She often plays a lot of thankless roles and here she makes good use of her onscreen time as Pierrepoint’s supportive wife, who while aware of his sideline, rarely discusses it with him until it becomes an elephant in the room, leading to one of the movie’s more compelling scenes.

Plainly, the filmmakers have an opinion on capital punishment but this is less about the merits of the death penalty and more on how it affects those who carry it out. Pierrepoint is far from a deranged psychopath; he is a civil servant who does his job efficiently and well. The fact that he, his wife and his friend are all so ordinary and average is what gives the movie its odd poignancy.

WHY RENT THIS: Spall performs marvelously in a role that is deceptively bland. Interesting presentation on how capital punishment affects the executioners.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: The clinical portrayal of hangings might be disturbing to sensitive viewers. The ordinariness of the characters can make for occasional moments of boredom.

FAMILY VALUES: The above-mentioned executions are not for children.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The title is a bit misleading. Although Pierrepoint retired in 1964, executions by hanging continued to take place in Britain until 1965.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: None listed.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: Stoned

Me And Orson Welles est le dernier film de Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Slacker, Suburbia, A Scanner Darkly…) et date de 2008, mais ne sort que maintenant. Il raconte l’histoire d’un adolescent (Zac Efron) qui, plus ou moins par accident – parce qu’il veut se serrer Claire Danes – va être casté par le Mercury Theater pour la représentation du Julius Caesar du jeune prodige de 22 ans, Orson Welles (Christian McKay).

Le moins que l’on puisse dire, et malgré ce qu’on peut penser de Efron, célèbre pour les High School Musical, le type semble pas mal du tout ici. mais c’est véritablement McKay qui est impressionnant dans cette bande-annonce.

UPDATE (Oct. 15/09): I was informed that it was probably in my best interest to take down the set photos from the Moby Dick shoot. However, if you’re still hoping to check them out, go to Shelburne County Now’s Website.

Yesterday was my final day working on Mike Barker’s MOBY DICK. I had a grand total of three days (one in Lunenburg, two in Shelburne) on the set, and I can easily say that this was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever worked on. The caliber of the cast is humbling. And when I say humbling, I mean you’re too scared to say anything that makes you look like an idiot, and then all of the awesome actors will just remember you as “that idiot”. Jeesh.

I managed to snag a small bit of memorabillia for this adventure, the sign from my very first trailer…

…my character’s name was actually Tom, but my computer mirrored the image, and rather than flipping it back, I thought it was amusing to envision my character’s name as Mot, and then starting a family business with Tomatoe juice.

…Moving on.

Photographer Timothy Gillespie was on set for the day, and took a few shots.

There’s plenty more available for paroosing over at Shelburne County Today’s website. Either at http://www.shelburnecountytoday.com/mobydick/ or over at http://www.shelburnecountytoday.com/mobydick/photos_extras.htm .

I should have a few more up on here within a few days. Stay tuned.

I would like to send out a big thank you to of those who helped make my experience on the set a wonderful one. I hope I am not considered “that idiot”.

Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes film already has sequel plans. According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Business blog, a sequel to Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes is already in the works, with Brad Pitt in negotiations to come aboard. This will be the first time they have worked together since Snatch.

I mentioned back in August that there was a rumour knocking about that Pitt was going to feature at the end of the new film as Moriarty. The studio dismissed that at the time. However, the news today is that Pitt would play longtime Holmes enemy Moriarty in the proposed sequel, althought a deal has not been reached yet. Kieran and Michele Mulroney were being brought on to write the sequel. It was said that the original cast would likely return, as might Guy Ritchie return to direct.

Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan and will open on 25th December.

Source: MovieWeb

Por Bruno Pongas

Se todos nós tivéssemos um pouco da alegria embutida na personalidade de Poppy estariamos feitos. Ela, que leva sua vidinha simples em meio aos problemas do cotidiano, jamais deixa de ser uma pessoa alegre, bonita e encantadora. A personagem faz o que muitos de nós deixamos passar batido em nosso dia-a-dia: encara as coisas com naturalidade, sempre sorrindo e tentando achar o lado bom da vida. Mesmo que tal alegria possa soar artificial e irritante em alguns momentos, a excelente Sally Hawkins consegue nos brindar com um ótimo papel – uma verdadeira fábula indicada, sobretudo, aos mal-humorados.

Na história, Poppy é uma professora de escola primária, que, como já dito, procura ver o lado bom da vida em tudo. No dia em que sua bicicleta é roubada, ao invés de ficar furiosa como qualquer ser humano ‘normal’, ela simplesmente sorri, e vai atrás de uma auto-escola para aprender a dirigir. Seu instrutor, o carrancudo Scott (Eddie Marsan), é completamente o oposto dela… sempre mal-humorado, irritado e de mal com a vida. No entanto, ao conhecer a garota as coisas mudam, e é a partir daí que vemos a trama ganhar seu colorido especial.

Sob a batuta de um diretor qualquer, Simplesmente Feliz fatidicamente cairia no senso comum das comédias românticas: personagens estúpidos, roteiro fraco e final altamente previsível. A habilidade e experiência de Mike Leigh, contudo, faz do filme um pequeno achado dentro de 2008. Os personagens, quando em cena, aparecem de forma genial. Leigh os construíu com cuidado, com destaque especial, é claro, para Poppy, que goza de uma profundidade extrema. O introspectivo instrutor é outra grande figura, e nos remete a pensamentos mais pessoais: “será que também somos assim? até que ponto levamos a vida com seriedade exagerada?”. Scott é como um reflexo do nosso cotidiano… um pouco caricato, é claro, mas com atitudes que nos instiga a refletir.

É por essas e por outras que Mike Leigh é um cineasta respeitadíssimo. Mesmo com uma obra que custou pouco - praticamente um trabalho secundário em sua carreira - ele nos condecora com uma história divertida e tocante… sempre à sua maneira. O roteiro, que também é assinado por ele, se diferencia bastante do que temos costumeiramente no gênero. Além dos ótimos diálogos, Leigh compensa a certa previsibilidade do argumento com um trabalho firme, maduro e gostoso de assistir. Uma pena que os personagens secundários tenham ficado um pouco limitados… eles mereciam um tempinho a mais em cena. Falando neles, talvez seja esse o grande mérito do diretor: criar pessoas extremamente interessantes e verossímeis, daquelas que podemos tranquilamente encontrar em nosso cotidiano, no trabalho, na faculdade… onde quer que seja.

Simplesmente Feliz, assim como sua personagem principal, se destaca pela simplicidade. Sem grandes maneirismos, efeitos mirabolantes ou coisas de outro mundo… muito pelo contrário! Vemos aqui a arte em estado puro, de uma maneira que é difícil encontrar no cinema hoje em dia. Mike Leigh, juntamente com Sally Hawkins, merecem todos os créditos. Vale se ligar também na trilha sonora, que se encaixa como luva no colorido mundo da simpática Poppy.

Minha Nota: 7.5

Direção: Mike Leigh
Gênero: Comédia/Drama
Duração: 118 minutos
Elenco: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Andrea Riseborough, Samuel Roukin, Sinead Matthews, Kate O’Flynn, Sarah Niles e Eddie Marsan.