Miss Potter

source: Miss Potter

I love Renee Zellweger. I find her to be a very chameleon-like actress. Anyone who can do "Chicago" and "Cold Mountain" almost back to back wins my vote. But... in this movie, having already conquered the British with "Bridget Jone's Diary" and the sequel, all I could think of was "Bridget Jones." That was the first problem. The second problem was: Every scene Renee was in she looked like she had a slightly different skin tone. It was never consistent. This drove me insane... but not as insane as those eyebrows! I have looked closely at pictures of the real Miss Potter, and I saw nothing as atrocious as those caterpillars glued to Renee's face. This was unfortunate and must have driven Renee mad... but not as mad as it drove me. The other thing that drove me nuts relatively quickly were the insert shots of the stellar landscapes that the DP managed to capture. Yes, they were breathtaking. And some of them absolutely deserved to be looked at, in fact, perhaps painted, as they were picture perfect. But I could have sworn that some of those insert shots at the beginning were the same ones used at the end, perhaps just a few frames different. The point is: They were overused and we "got the message" much quicker than perhaps the director imagined we would. Next: Ewan McGregor. Ewan is perfection in my book. I think he can do nothing wrong. And here, yes, he was charming, adorable, sweet, innocent, the perfect British gentleman, absolutely Victorian to the V. But he really wasn't given any shading. He was obviously told by the director: "You're madly in love with Beatrix and your whole goal in life is to make her your wife. And that's the only thing I want to see on your face." And that's the only thing I did see on his face. So, it was a one-note performance for me... but really not his fault. Then... I do not know Miss Potter's history, so it is not fair for me to judge this too harshly, but the movie was about this borderline spinsterish nutty closet writer who is "friends" with her "animals," and yet, it was also, at moments, suddenly, a movie about women's liberation, and then, preserving people's farms. Beatrix: She can draw adorable little rabbits, and stand up to her parents, and not marry if she doesn't so deign, and buy up people's farms with her royalties to show the evil developers how brave and tough she is. I don't know; it felt like three tales forced into one. And for the majority of it, I couldn't stop staring at how Renee's face morphed from one skin tone to the next. Now I'm white, now I'm tan, now I'm Indian, now I'm chocolate, now I'm autumn leaves, now I'm peaches and cream. I mean, really, did anybody color correct this thing? Ultimately this movie doesn't work. There really isn't that much drama in this woman's life. Yes, there is a key tragic event, but I saw it coming about an hour before it happened and I know nothing about Miss Potter except that she created darling little books. Yes, they are darling and it's good that there was a Miss Potter. I love Renee, and she's a good, no, a great actress... although if you see enough of her work you start to notice certain facial tics and looks and mannerisms that she uses over and over -- effectively, yes, but, over and over. The fact is, as Variety said, Emily Watson, who is British, was the natural choice for Beatrix... but, of course, she's not as big of a star as Renee. If you want something relatively low key, and if you are a Renee fan and have to follow everything she's done, then, yes, watch this. But if not; sorry, you won't be missing too much except some pretty landscapes and a few Disney-like moments when Miss Potter's darling animals come to life.

From what I knew of Potter's real life, I expected a much more fascinating film. Instead, her life is reduced to a bland tale barely scratching the surface of her life, accomplishments and struggles. The focus is mostly on cute bunnies and a harmless romance with Norman Warne. The direction pulls all the tricks from other movies of that period. We get nice photography, amazing sets and suitable music. It's so formulaic, it fails to be refreshing. Texan lead Zellweger performs once again her famed English accent. Probably her best attempt so far, although her performance is sometimes a little over the top. The rest of the cast is good but have very little to work with, I'm afraid. Emily Watson is particularly underused and doesn't seem in her usual form. The last arc seems a bit more dramatic but falls flat due to the failings of what preceded it. We simply don't care about these characters and by the end of the movie, we just wish Beatrix Potter's story was told in a new, entirely different movie.

"Miss Potter," a lukewarm bio-pic about the children's author Beatrix Potter, is so twee and genteel that it threatens to dissolve right off the screen, like a sugar cube tossed into a hot cup of English breakfast tea. This has to go down as one of the most unnecessary movies of all time, since nothing about Potter's life was remotely interesting, or at least it wasn't as portrayed here. There wasn't all that much standing in the way of Potter wanting to do the things she did, except for some mild societal censure and the displeasure of her mother. So her feats as an artist don't seem extraordinary, and there's practically no other dramatic conflict on which to hang an engaging plot. I do have to give Renee Zellweger credit for being a pretty good actress. I want to dislike her in virtually every movie she's in, and usually for the first fifteen minutes or so, I can do just that, annoyed by her squinty-eyed, purse-lipped, puffy face and kewpie doll voice. But she almost always wins me over, as she does here, though she's given no help by the script. And I don't know whose idea it was to have the character of Potter every once in a while break into conversation with her fictional creations, talking to her "friends" as if they're flesh and blood human beings. More than anything, these moments make Potter seem demented, an effect I can't believe the filmmakers were going for. Ewan McGregor pops up as Potter's suitor, and poor Emily Watson gets saddled with the role of McGregor's dumpy sister and dear friend to Potter. The costume designer adds so much padding to Watson's dresses that she looks like an NFL linebacker. I watched "Miss Potter" on a flight from Chicago to Paris, when I was desperate for something to pass the time. I can't imagine seeing it in any other circumstance and not spending the entire length of the film fidgeting for something more interesting to do. Grade: C

In 1902, in London, the spinster Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger) is a thirty-six year-old woman who lives with her bourgeois parents. Her snobbish mother Helen Potter (Barbara Flynn) had introduced several bachelors to Beatriz until she was twenty years old but she turned them all down. Beatrix Potter has been drawing animals and making up stories about them since she was a child but her parents has never recognized her as an artist. One day, Miss Potter offers her stories to a print house and the rookie publisher Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor) is delighted with her tales and publishes her first children's book. The successful selling leads Norman to publish two other books and Miss Potter becomes the best friend of his single sister Millie Warne (Emily Watson). Sooner they fall in love with each other but Helen does not accept that her daughter marries a "trader". However, Beatrix's father Rupert Potter (Bill Paterson) proposes that his daughter spends the summer with his wife and him in their country house in Lake District and if she is still interested in Norman after the summertime, he would bless their marriage. When Miss Potter stops receiving letters from Norman, she is disappointed. Until the day she receives a letter from Millie explaining what had happened to Norman. "Miss Potter" is a beautiful film about the life of the British writer of children's books Helen Beatrix Potter. This writer is not popular in Brazil and "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was only published in Portuguese in 2009. I saw "Miss Potter" without knowing that it was biographical and I found very sad when she loses Norman. However, Renée Zellweger once again has a magnificent performance in the role of a woman ahead of her time. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Miss Potter"

It's 1902 and Beatrix Potter is being stifled by her social-ladder-climbing parents. Always a teller and writer of stories, Beatrix breaks free from her suffocation and takes her tale of Peter Rabbit to the Warne publishers. Where she is pleasantly surprised to find a deal offered and young Norman Warne assigned personally to aid her in her first publishing venture. But as the pair start to fall in love, and the book takes off, the pressure from home threatens to derail her chance of happiness. Before it was even released, Miss Potter was being tagged Oscar Bait by lazy and uninformed movie fans. It seems that any film that falls into this ilk, is considered to be folly and destined to be rubbish. Why that is I don't know, since film's like Miss Potter, Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man and Finding Neverland are technically great movies that tell amazingly impacting stories. Amazingly impacting stories backed up by fine acting I might add. Things further hindered Miss Potter by those decrying the casting of Renée Zellweger in the title role, it was Bridget Jones madness all over again. Once again Zellwegger took up the challenge and proved it to be an inspired choice to put her into the prim and proper corset of our dear Beatrix. Then there was the historical inaccuracies argument {like it has stopped so many millions of film's in the past doing it!}, none of which are really worth listing. So finally the last big negative put forward to kick Miss Potter is the age old chestnut of it not being a fully formed bio-picture. Please, do me a favour. It's got a running time of 90 minutes and primarily focuses on the most telling time in her life. What Miss Potter is guilty of is not affording more time to her wonderful artistic achievements. Director Chris Noonan {Babe} and writer Richard Maltby, Jr. choose to enforce the whimsy and romanticism rather than showcase what a unique talent she was. In fact Miss Potter for the most part makes Beatrix comes off as a kooky dreamer. Something she most probably was when she dived into her work. Thankfully tho, in the last quarter of the piece, Beatrix is shown to be the strong, ahead of her time, woman that she was. Her conservationism and blow striking from the gorgeous Lake District she called home, is given weight and rounds the film out nicely. Prior to this we are treated to a magical world where Beatrix's creations come to life on the page, only to her you understand, but the impact as she converses with the likes of Peter Rabbit is uplifting and keeps us focused on what great work she achieved in the world of children's books. Conversely, when things do go bleak, as most Potter fans know as regards her real life story, the animation sequences are brilliant at portraying Beatrix's emotional state. Great work from Noonan and his animation team. While a special mention for Andrew Dunn is due because his cinematography around the Lake District is truly sumptuous. In support of Zellwegger {who was nominated for Golden Globe} is Ewan McGregor {delightful and believable} as love interest Norman Warne, Emily Watson {terrific} as Norman's sister Millie, an early feminist and confidante of Beatrix. While Bill Paterson and Barbara Flynn as the Potter parents involve and infuriate to the right levels of story enhancement. Yes it's charming, yes it's sweet, but Miss Potter is far more than just a movie made to please a certain demographic, or Oscar, as the silly people say. Expect a film about a period in her life and accept that at 90 minutes long it's never going to be a fully formed Beatrix Potter film. And you may just be as beguiled as I was. Not as classy as Finding Neverland, but a most worthy accompaniment to that picture it be. 8/10

Wow, what a wonderful film. It's almost shocking to see these days - a genuinely nice, but not sappy, film. It's the story of Beatrix Potter, the all-time best-selling author of children's books. It's about how she became an author, who helped, who didn't, who encouraged her, who didn't, and who she fell in love with and what happened with him. This is a very involving film, right from the start and it doesn't overstay its welcome at 92 minutes. This is one of those rare films in which, even in some of its tougher moments, and there were some, had me almost in tears many times. I guess I am hopeless romantic. Anyone who is will treasure this film, male or female. Anyone who appreciates beautiful scenery will treasure this, too. Some of the shots of the English countryside are absolutely stunning. This is a beautiful picture, visually and in story. There really isn't anything to criticize. Rene Zellweger gives an terrific performance as "Beatrix Potter." She is the second American actor I have heard on screen in the last two months speak with a British accent and do it well enough that I didn't think about it after a short time. (The other was Edward Norton in "The Painted Veil."). Zellweger and Ewan McGregor ("Norman Warne") are about as charming a couple as you will ever see on film. The support from Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Bill Patterson and the rest of the cast also is first-rate. This is about a clean a movie as you'd ever see, too, regarding language and sex. However, I doubt kids wouldn't be interested in this film. It's an adult story. If you are looking an interesting and emotional hour and a half of entertainment, this comes highly recommended.

The character of Miss Beactrix Potter is very well portrayed in this movie, with a very good supporting cast. Leaving aside the small artistic licence (and you need not know what this is) Renee Zellwiger seemed at first an unlikely choice for the title role, but she carried the part of talented spinster very well. I notice'from the credits that Ms Zellwiger had a voice coach - if I have any criticism of her it would be the slightly forced English accent, and maybe I could put this down to the upbringing of her rather starchy parents (played by Barbara Flynn and Bill Patterson). Etiquette being all the range, the 36-year-old Beatrix was constantly accompanied by a chaperon, which situation lent itself to moments of comedy. The Warne brothers were all well cast. Star of the show was Norman Warne, (Ewan McGregor) who was thrust at Miss Potter as the other brothers did not want to deal with such a mere trifle as a children's book. The other two made a brief appearance, and seemed far more typical of the businessmen they were to represent. I was very nearly moved to tears when Norman Warne died - he and Beatrix had secretly become engaged, and the wrench was all so real. Take a hankie just in case. I would recommend this movie to everyone who's a fan or merely an interested reader of Peter Rabbit et al. You will no doubt fall in love with the scenery too - and by all means use this as an excuse to visit the Lake District, see High Top, and of course the lakes themselves. This is a film for all ages.

I saw this last night and although it past away a pleasant 90 mins I have to say that it really was a missed opportunity. Renee was woefully miss cast in the lead, she seems to think playing an English character means pulling stupid faces and speaking in that mannered fashion she used to such nauseating effect in the Bridget Jones movies. The whole film is neither fish nor fowl, it cannot decide if it wants to be a joyless "Bednobs and Broomsticks" or some kind of soft focus version of "Upstairs Downstairs". There are some solid performances though, Barbara Fyln, Ewan Mcgregor, Emily Watson and the rest of the UK cast are all excellent. As are the production values. Shame this never manages to really pull at your heartstrings. Bit of a missed opportunity all round.

Apart from Rene Zellweger and her unfortunately pursing and pouting mouth being absolutely the wrong actor for this role, the movie itself did Miss Potter no favours. Beatrix Potter was a well-respected scientist(though not always by the scientific men who thought women should stay in the kitchen and not dabble in such things)who proved that lichens were a symbiotic link between fungus and algae. Her minute observations of nature were her major interest and she was famous throughout England for her scientific papers on these subjects. Not one hint of this in the movie, or her remarkable personality which lifted her above her peers. Potter and Millie Warne were intelligent "blustockings", women with innovative brains who felt there was a better life than being shackled to a man as his domestic slave and bringing up children (a very revolutionary idea at that time) and yet were portrayed in the film as a bored and boring old maids pretending they did not want to marry because no one suitable had asked them! What an insult to both women and women in general. This is a nice film with all that such a word implies. Inspid and bland (not Pigling, who along with many of Potter's other famous characters is never mentioned) and lacking in the fire and verve which made up such an interesting and clever woman. Lovely, brooding scenery of the north country and the animation is a nice touch, showing us how real the characters were to Beatrix. But the filmmakers sold the incredible Miss Potter short. And one last curmudgeonly comment: not since the invention of Panstick, which users often applied up to, but not beyond, the jawline, giving them a pink face and a white neck, have I seen such appalling makeup - what were they thinking of?