Roll-M: Topsy-Turvy |
Topsy-Turvy (starring Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Lesley Manville; written and directed by Mike Leigh; rated R).
Unless you're absolutely topsy-turvy over Gilbert and Sullivan musicals (and The Mikado in particular), you are probably likely to find yourself dozing off during Topsy-Turvy. An uneven biopic of the lives of these two English light opera greats, this is a terrific costume piece (with outstanding designs by Lindy Hemming), but there is little else to recommend it, other than the music, which you can listen to on CD without having to endure the tedium of the film. More and more frequently, it seems that when a screenwriter picks up the director's reigns, he forgets to also grasp the editor's scissors firmly in hand. Every scene becomes precious, every line a gem. At nearly three hours, this film suffers almost as greatly as the musical pair does during their labor pains in creating The Mikado. Had the first hour been lopped from the movie, hardly anyone would have noticed, and it would play much better. However, if you've ever wondered how a theatrical production comes together, the behind-the-scenes stuff in the movie's second half is mildly intriguing.
TWO OWLS (OUT OF FIVE)