Miss Potter Review
by Guy Davis
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It should come as no surprise that Miss Potter
comes close to being frightfully twee on occasion. When you’re talking
about a film biography of Beatrix Potter, the children’s book author
responsible for iconic characters like Peter Rabbit and Jemima
Puddle-Duck, it’s something that comes with the territory.
For
the most part, however, this warm-hearted and sincere portrait of an
unconventional woman nimbly sidesteps gooey sentimentality, charmingly
presenting the story of Beatrix Potter’s rise to fame and fortune.
In
turn-of-the-century England, you see, it wasn’t really the done thing
for unmarried, well-to-do women in their thirties to spend their time
writing and illustrating books, much less shop them around to
publishing houses.
But Beatrix (Renee Zellweger), the only
daughter of a prominent, wealthy London family, chose to reject the
many inappropriate suitors pressed upon her by her mother and focus on
creating stories about curious, mischievous (and rather well-dressed)
animals.
What’s more, she actually convinced a publishing
company run by the Warne brothers to print her books, even if the two
brothers who ran the company considered Potter’s books a low priority,
assigning them to their younger brother Norman (Ewan McGregor), a
novice in the publishing business.
While inexperienced, Norman
had passion to spare, especially when it came to Beatrix’s stories.
Together the two worked tirelessly to make sure her books became a
reality in the exact way Beatrix envisioned. And their efforts paid
off, with the children of England - and indeed the world - falling
under their spell.
Beatrix and Norman fell under their own
spell, with the forthright and slightly eccentric author and the
earnest and slightly bumbling publisher becoming more and more fond of
one another.
It’s hard to get around the fact that the
relationship between Beatrix and Norman doesn’t have a happy ending, a
story development made all the more saddening by the lovely,
lighter-than-air chemistry shared by Zellweger and McGregor, whose
characters and performances complement each other beautifully.
Luckily, Australian director Chris Noonan - in his first effort behind the camera since Babe
- expertly handles the film’s many shifts in tone. Miss Potter is just
as certain and grounded during its darker moments as its lighter ones,
and the result is a movie that is resolutely old-fashioned...and quite
a treat at that. 3.5 out
of 5 Miss Potter
Australian
release: 25th January,
2007
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Perdita Weeks, Bill Patterson
Director: Chris Noonan
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