Wow, what an acting triumph for two of my favorite actors – Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren. I am going to sound a little vague because I don’t want to spoil anything. Roy (Ian McKellan) is a career con man who swindles businessmen with dodgy investments and romances lonely widows out of their pensions. He decides to bilk a wealthy widow, Betty (Helen Mirren), out of her money by seemingly meeting her randomly on a senior dating site. They hit it off and slowly develop close feelings for each other. She lets him stay in her home, and they even take a trip to Germany together. Betty’s grandson begins to suspect that his mother’s beau isn’t all he seems to be, but she won’t hear anything negative about him. Roy has an actual partner in crime, who is played by Jim Carter (Mr. Carson on Downton Abbey) who, as you can imagine, is playing a character as far removed from the honorable butler as can be. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story, but I won’t go into them. That would be telling! But there are some fine performances all around. What else could you expect? Between the three of them, they have a combined age of 225. That is a lot of experience and it really shows! I am not sure this would be appeal to people under forty, but only because the main characters are in their 70s and 80s. That is too bad, because they will be missing quite a treat!
Beauty and the Beast
Well, they did it! They actually remade a beloved classic that is worthy of becoming a classic itself! The dazzling special effects are eye popping (even more so in 3D)! The enchanting rendition of “Be My Guest” was enhanced by the voice of Ewan McGregor who was wonderful as Lumiere. Emma Watson made a perfect Belle, pretty, fiesty and compassionate. Dan Stevens is seamless as the gruff Beast who just longs for love…. and finally earns it. Other notable cast members include Emma Thompson, Ian McKellan, Josh Gad and Kevin Kline. Gaston, the man you love to hate, is played to narcissistic perfection by Luke Evans. I must admit that I thought I would hate anyone other than Angela Lansbury singing “Beauty and the Beast” but Emma Thompson’s rendition had just the right amount of pathos and sweetness. There is room on your DVD shelf (if people even have such a thing anymore) for the animated and live action versions of Beauty and the Beast.