Hitchkock

I've been on such a roll with lauding movies that I forgot that there are dogs out there too!  Hitchcock is a pure misfire.

A bit of positive:  Anthony Hopkins is an exquisite actor no matter how bad a film he's in.  His film credits are so extensive they are beyond belief, including leading roles in:  Howard's End, Remains of the Day, Shadowlands, Nixon, The Edge, Amistad, Meet Joe Black, Hannibal, and so many more.

Hopkins really becomes Hitchcock in mannerisms and style.  He is somewhat drole and slovenly like the master himself.

One more plus:  Hellen Mirren.  She dazzles as Hitchcock's highly influential and manipulative wife.  She plays the shrewish, yet dedicated, spouse with dignity and aplomb.  Like Hopkins, she can do no wrong when it comes to acting.

OK, on to the negatives, and how many there are!  First the script.  Stupid.  Thin.  Unbelievable.  Superficial.  No spoiler, as usual, but the story shows us little of the real Hitchcock.  It picks up little of his frothy, sly humor.  It says nothing of his brilliant long-running mystery theatre on TV, for which most folks remember him.

Then there's the stuff left out.  Nearly everything.  Who really is Hitchcock?  How did he become what he was?  Did he just appear out of nowhere?  What about his genius for presenting mysteries?  What about his later years after Psycho?  What about his true place in film history?

Even if we accept that for some crazy reason the makers of the film wanted to focus on the making of Psycho, we learn little to nothing about that great classic.  Sure, the audience was scared by the famous shower scene.  But that's so little of what the film was about.

Tony Perkins created all the tension with his crazy eyes and creepy smile.  There's barely mention of the fine actor.  Janet Leigh, portrayed imperfectly by the too-pretty and lady-like Scarlett Johannson, was really a minor player compared to Perkins.

And what about the setting?  The spooky house.  The weird circumstances of the female victim being alone in the big hotel.  Alas, barely a look at a single scene in Psycho.

The biop hints at Hitchcock the womanizer.  But so what?  Anyway, he hardly looked like a dashing young man for whom the ladies would swoon!  Why was this significant at all?  

The film is slow.  It can easily replace a sleeping pill.

Grade of D.   Not worth seeing.  Lest you wish to have a nice nap in the back of the theatre.