I saw two art-house films over the Thanksgiving weekend that I hope you get to see. Both are much-hyped for the awards season. The first, Philomena, is based on a true story. The real Philomena said she enjoyed the movie as it told her story but hardly recognized herself in the somewhat light-hearted character. Here is why:
Philomena (Judi Dench, Steve Coogan) — Judi Dench has earned her charmed career. I doubt she would have had that much success if she had been American. We require our actresses to be beautiful and to garner big box office in order to have long careers. You can count on one hand the lasting lead American actresses (starting with Meryl Streep). But Dame Judi isn’t beautiful unlike her closest British contemporary, Helen Mirren, and she has prospered in “small” films until recently.
From Shakespeare to Shakespeare in Love, Dench excels. Now, it’s Bond and Exotic Marigold Hotel. No matter; she is a treasure.
In Philomena, Dench is brilliant as an aging woman whose longing to find the child she was forced to give up haunts her in her advancing age. She employs the help of a disgraced journalist (comedian, actor, writer Steve Coogan) to assist her in the search. That journey takes us to an orphanage where the nuns oversee pregnant teenagers through their sinful ordeal, then sell the children to traditional couples desperate to adopt kids. The mothers have no say in the matter and are then conscripted to a life of (practically) slave labor. They have committed a sin in the eyes of the nuns and there is no compassion.
But Philomena holds no grudge. She just wants to find out about her son. The search leads to many revelations, culminating in a trip back to the Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Dench’s performance is award-worthy. But greatness ends there. The script, co-written by Coogan, is weak. Is this a comedy or just quirky? Is this a maddening atrocity endorsed by the Catholic Church or a story of unquestioned faith?
The script almost sinks the ship. But director Steven Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity) salvages it by focusing on Dench and deft photography. Coogan, too, was surprisingly good, displaying range he has never shown.
While Philomena might get a Best Picture nomination since 10 films can be nominated, it is not one of the best movies of the year. Dench is a lock for an Oscar nod but the script is sub-par.