(L to R) Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Natasha McElhone and Dónal Finn in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
You may be frustrated waiting for a third ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movie from filmmaker Guy Ritchie (at this point, you really shouldn’t hold your breath), but he’s no doubt hoping to tide you over with a new ‘Young Sherlock’ that spins the clock back to the detective’s days at college
Script and Direction
(L to R) Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Colin Firth and Max Irons in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Daniel Smith.
Series creator Matthew Parkhill has found a decent basis for the new series, seeing him team up with an equally fresh-faced James Moriarty, and spinning a tale of the Holmes family that forms part of the mystery.
Directorially, Ritchie brings something of his Sherlock-focused movies to the style of the show, though it also settles down from time to time.
Cast and Performances
Joseph Fiennes in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Daniel Smith.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin is a solid Sherlock, though sometimes overshadowed by co-stars Dónal Finn and Zine Tseng.
Tiffin at least escapes concerns of nepo baby casting, providing some charm and wit to the role, even if the family history angle isn’t completely helped by the addition of his uncle, Joseph Fiennes, playing his father. As his mother, meanwhile, Natascha McElhone is a little sidelined to begin with, but has a chance to shine later.
If there’s one performer with a reason to complain, it’s Colin Firth, who for the most part is reduced to being a blowhard, officious type you can tell is up to no good.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Zine Tseng and Dónal Finn in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
The new show might not really satiate those looking for the combination of Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and the visual trickery of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock outings, but one out of three isn’t too bad.
And if we truly must have a Sherlock Holmes prequel, at least it has some spirit and offers decent entertainment value.
‘Young Sherlock’ receives 68 out of 100.
(L to R) Max Irons and Natasha McElhone in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
What’s the plot of ‘Young Sherlock’?
‘Young Sherlock’ follows the origin story of the beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character’s early days. Sherlock Holmes is a disgraced young man –– raw and unfiltered –– when he finds himself wrapped up in a murder case that threatens his liberty.
Who stars in ‘Young Sherlock’?
Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes
Zine Tseng as Princess Gulun Shou’an
Dónal Finn as James Moriarty
Joseph Fiennes as Silas Holmes
Natascha McElhone as Cordelia Holmes
Colin Firth as Sir Bucephalus Hodge
Max Irons as Mycroft Holmes
Hero Fiennes Tiffin in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
(L to R): Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Dónal Finn in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
Preview:
The first images from Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock’ series are online.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin is playing the younger take on the sleuth.
Guy Ritchie is the main director and executive producer.
He may not have been able to bring us a third outing of the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movies that saw Robert Downey Jr. as the famous detective and Jude Law as faithful sidekick Dr. Watson yet (not for want of trying), but director Guy Ritchie is at least keeping the door to Holmes open via a new Prime Video series that turns the clock back to the younger days of the character.
(L to R): Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Natasha McElhone and Dónal Finn in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
‘Young Sherlock’ follows the origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character’s early days. Sherlock Holmes is a disgraced young man –– raw and unfiltered –– when he finds himself wrapped up in a murder case that threatens his liberty.
His first ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy that changes his life forever. Unfolding in 1870s Oxford and adventuring abroad, the series will expose the early antics of the anarchic adolescent who is yet to evolve into Baker Street’s most renowned resident.
Here’s what Ritchie had to say when the show was announced:
“In ‘Young Sherlock’ we’re going to see an exhilarating new version of the detective everyone thinks they know in a way they’ve never imagined before. We’re going to crack open this enigmatic character, find out what makes him tick, and learn how he becomes the genius we all love.”
Who else is appearing in the new show?
(L to R): Max Irons and Natasha McElhone in Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock.’ Photo: Dan Smith.
And thankfully, despite the worrying sign of it being sent directly to a streaming service here (it’s in theaters internationally), this is a superior entry in the franchise spawned from Helen Fielding’s columns, eventual books and first on our screens way back in 2001.
Should you make a date with ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
(L to R) Mila Jankovic as Mabel Darcy, Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, and Casper Knopf as Billy Darcy in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Alex Bailey/Universal Pictures.
In the years since that original movie, there has been a healthy evolution for Bridget, and even more hearteningly, some of the people around her. This new offering might not start out as suitable for those who love their happy endings, as the shadow of grief hangs over Bridget, still mourning the loss of her perfect man, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and dealing with life as a single mother.
Yet it’s all a spur for a new chapter in her life, as she decides to leave the mournful doldrums and get on with, well, living. Around her, plenty of other characters have similarly come to realizations about their lives, even the irrepressible cad Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) –– though he still has a twinkle in his eye.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones and Leo Woodall as Roxster in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Alex Bailey/Universal Pictures.
With a script from Bridget’s creator Fielding alongside British TV scriptwriting stalwarts Helen Dan Mazer and Abi Morgan, ‘Mad About the Boy’ manages to pull off the trick of both maintaining what we love about Bridget –– smart yet clumsy, hopeful yet soulful, silly and serious all at once –– while also growing the storyline around her.
As a widower dangerously careening towards her fifties and trying to be the best mother she can be, it’s a proper new gear for both the character and Zellweger, and the movie makes the most of that.
Yet the screenplay also doesn’t forget what makes these films so much fun, with moments for Bridget’s friends and colleagues that offering sterling support and plenty of laughs. Her main love interest is perhaps a little bland, but that’s no real issue as he’s mostly just a waypoint for the person you can tell she’s likely to end up with from the moment we meet them.
Director Michael Morris, whose resume includes movies such as ‘To Leslie,’ has really earned his stripes on the small screen, handling episodes of shows including ‘Better Call Saul’ and ‘For All Mankind.’ And that experience proves invaluable, as he’s able to juggle multiple characters and the film looks cinematic, if relatively simple.
It’s all in service of the story, though, and helped by some truly beautiful London locations.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver and Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Since bursting onto our screens all those years ago Renée Zellweger and her near-flawless British accent (never generic, always specific) as Bridget has weathered the highs (the original) and lows (the second and to some degree, third movies).
Here, she’s given a take on the character she can really work with, and puts in a touching, charismatic performance, easily making Miss Jones –– or Mrs. Darcy as she is these days –– someone you both want to spend time with and root for.
(L to R) Colin Firth as Mark Darcy and Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures.
Around her, Bridget’s friends and family remain excellent, whether indulging her latest concerns or trying to offer advice. They might only pop up in support, but they all feel like rounded humans at this point.
And special mention must be made of Hugh Grant. Having famously skipped the third film because he didn’t like the script, he only agreed to return for this one if he got to change some of Daniel Cleaver’s scenes. Whatever he and the writing team worked out, it was all for the good, as the cheeky Daniel of old shines through while also coming across as being more self-aware of his own ridiculousness. His chemistry with Zellweger also remains on point.
Less natural is Leo Woodall, who is fine as “Roxter,” the new younger man who enters Bridget’s life when she’s stuck up a tree. Woodall does what he can with the role, and he has some charm, but he’s more plot point that character.
(L to R) Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mr. Walliker and Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment / Universal Pictures.
The same fate might have befallen Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Mr. Wallaker, a teacher at Bridget’s kids’ school. But in the experienced actor’s calm hands, he’s both funny and relatable, and when the inevitable arrives you can see why she might fall for him.
One person who comes off less well, if only by dint of her popping up in exactly one brief scene, Isla Fisher as a neighbor and stressed mother who we meet for seconds, threatening to dispatch her unruly kids off to “the squid games.” Was she in more of the movie, but saw her scenes sliced out in editing? We may never know for sure, but she still makes an impact in her one moment.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Sally Phillips as Shazzer, James Callis as Tom, Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, and Shirley Henderson as Jude in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’. Photo: Jay Maidment/Universal Pictures.
Like the character herself, the ‘Bridget Jones’ film series needed a bit of luck, and ‘Mad About the Boy’ brings it. It’s a deeper, richer, and more satisfying film than the other sequels and if this represents the last time we hang out with the character and her various associates, then it’s a fitting finale.
As Bridget might write in her diary: V Good.
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What’s the story of ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
In her latest film, Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is alone once again, widowed four years ago, when Mark (Colin Firth) was killed on a humanitarian mission in the Sudan. She’s now a single mother to their kids, and is stuck in a state of emotional limbo, raising her children with help from her loyal friends and even her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant).
Pressured by her Urban Family — Shazzer, Jude and Tom, her work colleague Miranda, her mother, and her gynecologist Dr. Rawlings (Emma Thompson) — to forge a new path toward life and love, Bridget goes back to work and even tries out the dating apps, where she’s soon pursued by a dreamy and enthusiastic younger man (Leo Woodall).
Now juggling work, home and romance, Bridget grapples with the judgment of the perfect mums at school, worries about son Billy as he struggles with the absence of his father, and engages in a series of awkward interactions with her son’s rational-to-a-fault science teacher (Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Who also stars in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
The powerhouse director and producer, still seen as one of the most famous and successful filmmakers in the world, has a mysterious new movie in the works, and Wyatt Russell is the latest to join the swelling thespian ranks.
Director Steven Spielberg on the set of ‘The Post’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
That’s the one thing that has really been kept quiet about the director’s latest project. While it has been talked about as an “event movie” –– as opposed to his last two movies, ‘The Fabelmans’ and ‘West Side Story’, which verged more towards awards season prestige than summer blockbuster territory, this one will be squarely more in the wheelhouse of movies such as the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies and ‘Jurassic Park.’
Or perhaps we should say ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ or ‘War of the Worlds’ as the new film is reportedly once more focused on alien (or at least UFO) interaction. Nothing on that front has been confirmed, though, and Spielberg has the clout to keep it that way for now.
Still, ‘Jurassic Park’ is also a touchstone, since writer David Koepp, who wrote the first two outings of the dino-franchise (and recently returned to pen ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ which director Gareth Edwards shot), crafted the script for the new movie based on an idea from Spielberg.
The director is also producing the film via his Amblin company.
Who else is in Spielberg’s new movie?
Samuel L. Jackson at the red carpet premiere of Marvel Studios’ ‘Secret Invasion.’
As with Nolan’s latest film, Steven Spielberg is the sort of director who can lock down pretty much any talent that he requires, short of them being unavailable.
Most recently, Samuel L. Jackson –– who appeared in ‘Jurassic Park’ –– signed on to reunite with the director.
In the spirit of the rest of the movie, we don’t know what roles that ensemble will be taking, as the only concrete information appears to be a plan to shoot next spring in the tax break-friendly state of Georgia.
This is what Blunt had to say about meeting the director and landing the role:
“We start in February, and that’s all I can tell you. I was so awestruck to even get the call. And then in the meeting, he goes, ‘Would you like to know why you’re here?’ And I was like, ‘Yes please.’ I was trying not to dork out and just talk to him about endless scenes from ‘Jaws’ that I’ve been obsessed with for years. He’s really magical. I’m very happy.”
What else is Steven Spielberg developing?
(L to R) Gabriel LaBelle and co-writer/producer/director Steven Spielberg on the set of ‘The Fabelmans.’
Honestly, at this point, it’s easier to list projects that the prolific Spielberg isn’t involved with.
There are also the many projects on his sprawling to-do list as a director, including a new ‘Tintin’ movie, a film continuing the story of the character from ‘Bullitt,’ and one about Ulysses S. Grant.
And recent rumors have seen the director linked to an adaptation of author John Scalzi’s ‘Old Man’s War’ books, though Scalzi has warned not to get too excited about that news for now.
Where else have I seen Wyatt Russell?
Wyatt Russell in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,’ coming soon to Apple TV+.
(L to R) Rita Moreno and director Steven Spielberg on the set of ‘West Side Story’. Photo: Walt Disney Studios.
Universal and Amblin Entertainment have handed the movie a May 15th, 2026, release date, setting it squarely in the summer blockbuster territory that Spielberg himself helped establish way back in the 1970s with the likes of ‘Jaws.’
It means Spielberg will be filling one of that year’s summer slots alongside Nolan’s new project (headed our way on July 17th) and –– assuming he sets a release date –– Abrams.
Oscar nominee Colman Domingo is the latest addition to Steven Spielberg’s next film.
Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Eve Hewson are all reportedly aboard.
The movie is apparently an event picture about UFOs.
Colman Domingo has been on a real run of late as studios and streamers have finally woken up to what a great actor he is. He was nominated for an Oscar in the last awards season for his work in political biopic ‘Rustin’ and is drawing further praise for his performance in based-on-truth prison drama ‘Sing Sing.’
And now, if Deadline’s report pans out, he’ll reunite with one of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood history, as Domingo is in early talks to join the cast of Steven Spielberg’s mysterious new movie. The actor previously appeared in the director’s ‘Lincoln.’
That’s the one thing that has really been kept quiet about the director’s latest project. While it has been talked about as an “event movie” –– as opposed to his last two movies, ‘The Fabelmans’ and ‘West Side Story’, which verged more towards awards season prestige than summer blockbuster territory, this one will be squarely more in the wheelhouse of movies such as the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies and ‘Jurassic Park.’
Still, ‘Jurassic Park’ is also a touchstone, since writer David Koepp, who wrote the first two outings of the dino-franchise (and recently returned to pen ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ which director Gareth Edwards has been shooting), crafted the script for the new movie based on an idea from Spielberg.
Domingo will next be seen playing Michael Jackson’s controversial father Joe in biopic ‘Michael,’ due out on April 18th next year.
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When will Spielberg’s latest be in theaters?
Universal and Amblin Entertainment have handed the movie a May 15th, 2026, release date, setting it squarely in the summer blockbuster territory that Spielberg himself helped establish way back in the 1970s with the likes of ‘Jaws.’
Colin Firth in ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Preview:
Colin Firth has been cast in a series about Sherlock Holmes younger days.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin is leading the cast, with Joseph Fiennes, Natascha McElhone and Zine Tseng also aboard.
Guy Ritchie is producing the series.
If you’re a frustrated fan of Guy Ritchie’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movie duo (which starred Robert Downey Jr. as the title character and Jude Law as sidekick Doctor Watson), the wait for an oft-talked-about, but not-yet-made third entry still rankles.
So perhaps you’ll be happy to lean that the director has since pivoted in a new ‘Holmes’ direction, setting up a young Sherlock series. The show now counts ‘Kingsman’ veteran Colin Firth among its cast. And no, it has nothing to do with 1985’s Barry Levinson movie about the character’s younger days.
The new show, picked up by Prime Video, will adapt Andy Lane’s ‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ book series. Eight books were published between 2010 and 2015, which means plenty of potential storylines.
Lane’s books follow a teenage Holmes in the 1860s and 1870s and are officially described as “the action-packed origin story of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective in an explosive re-imagining of this iconic character. At age 19, Sherlock Holmes is disgraced, raw, unfiltered, and unformed, when he finds himself caught up in a murder mystery at Oxford University which threatens his freedom. Diving into his first-ever case with a wild lack of discipline, Sherlock manages to unravel a globe-trotting conspiracy that will change his life forever.”
Here’s what Ritchie had to say when the show was announced:
“In ‘Young Sherlock’ we’re going to see an exhilarating new version of the detective everyone thinks they know in a way they’ve never imagined before. We’re going to crack open this enigmatic character, find out what makes him tick, and learn how he becomes the genius we all love.”
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Who Will Appear in the ‘Young Sherlock’ Series?
Hero Fiennes Tiffin in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’. Photo: Daniel Smith.
Joseph Fiennes –– yes, Hero’s uncle –– will be Silas Holmes, Sherlock’s father, who is described as a scientist, explorer and self-made businessman. Natascha McElhone will play Cordelia Holmes, his devoted mother, artist and matriarch of the Holmes clan.
Zine Tseng has an unannounced role, while Firth will play a character named Sir Bucephalus Hodge; details on the character have yet to be announced. We’re going to go with either wise mentor or utter cad, and honestly, we’d love to see Firth break bad.
In addition to Ritchie (who is so far listed as an executive producer but will likely direct at least a few episodes), the show has Matthew Parkhill, writer of small screen dramas such as ‘Deep State’ and ‘Rogue’ on board to write and run it.
When will the ‘Young Sherlock’ Series Premiere?
Prime Video has not yet announced when the show might arrive.
(L to R) Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in 2011’s ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.’
Renée Zellweger in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
Renée Zellweger will be back as Bridget Jones.
Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson are also returning.
The movie will adapt Helen Fielding’s third Bridget book.
It has been nearly a decade since Helen Fielding’s character Bridget Jones was on our screens –– when last we saw the woman played by Renée Zellweger, she was happily married to Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy and had given birth to her first child.
But though that seemingly wrapped Bridget’s story up in a bow, even before the movie landed, Fielding had plans for the future. ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’, the third book based on the author’s columns, arrived in 2013 and threw the character for a loop (see more on that below).
What’s the story of ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
Renée Zellweger in ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Based on the third book in Fielding’s series, ‘Mad About the Boy’ picks up with Bridget in her early fifties, as she navigates the challenges of modern life while juggling the responsibilities of motherhood.
Here, though is the big problem –– and it’s a SPOILER ALERT for anyone who hasn’t read the book –– ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ sees the title character as a single mother to two small children, after the tragic death of Mark Darcy (played by Colin Firth in the other films). Bridget will emerge from her all-encompassing grief to have to figure out dating in a world that has moved on since she was last out there.
Who else is in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
(L to R) Emma Thompson and Renée Zellweger in ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Alongside Zellweger, Hugh Grant will return as the dashing Daniel Cleaver, who is likely a little less roguish now he’s an older man (but don’t hold your breath). And we’ll see more of Emma Thompson, who played Dr. Rawlings, Bridget’s OB/GYN in ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’. We have to assume that she’s still part of Bridget’s life.
New to the story this time are Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall (the latter of which appeared in ‘The White Lotus’ and more recently, in ‘One Day’), but Deadline’s story on the casting makes no mention of who they’re playing.
Who is making ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’?
Andrea Riseborough as Leslie in director Michael Morris’ ‘To Leslie.’
Michael Morris, whose last film ‘To Leslie’ was the subject of some controversy over star Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar campaign, will direct. Morris also has experience from TV series such as ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘Extrapolations’ and ‘Bloodline’.
No word on who is writing the script this time, though Thompson co-wrote the screenplay for the last movie.
When will ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ be in theaters?
Working Title and Universal have set a Valentine’s Day 2025 release date for the new movie.
(L to R) Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth in ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’:
Though they were both swirling around their writer/directors’ minds before the pandemic struck, it’s hard not to see Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ and Sam Mendes’ ‘Empire of Light’ partly as reactions to cinemas being closed during the long months that everyone was locked down.
And while Spielberg took a semi-autobiographical approach to channel his love of watching (and making) movies, Mendes seems motivated more by the impact it can have on those who might need a boost. And about troubled people finding each other.
The setting for the ‘1917’ director’s latest is the chilly, windswept English coastal town of Margate, where stands one of the Empire chain of cinemas. There, a small staff screens the latest releases to local folk.
This old-school movie palace is falling into disrepair, entire sections locked off and some exposed to the elements, its glory days behind it. The same might be said for some of the staff, though in the case of the careworn manager Hilary (Olivia Colman), the question is whether she ever saw glory days to begin with.
Back at work after a stay in a local mental health facility and facing little sympathy or understanding from her doctor, she’s just trying to hold it together while picking back up an ill-advised affair with the dull-but-authoritative Donald Ellis (Colin Firth, in particularly smug mode).
Around her are a rag-tag group of employees, including veteran projectionist Norman (Toby Jones), ambitious assistant manager Neil (Tom Brooke) and disaffected candy-slinger Janine. After a dismissal, their ranks are swelled by Stephen (Micheal Ward), an enthusiastic young Black worker with a love for music, who immediately attracts the attention of Janine and, on a deeper level, Hilary.
Soon, Hilary and Stephen are sharing snacks and sexual encounters in the disused upper echelons of the cinema, where a formerly fancy bar area is now home to roosting pigeons (Stephen rescues one in a slightly stretched simile for his relationship with Hilary).
Despite hailing from very different backgrounds and with starkly contrasting life experiences They’re drawn together by a shared love of music, cinema and figuring out their issues––her struggles with manic depression, he facing everyday racism in 1980s England, where the fascistic National Front is beginning to assert its power.
Mendes and legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins let their camera linger and rest, eschewing overly showy visuals in favor of beautifully lit moments that help the cast tell the story. And the watery sunlight of the coastal town also help paint the film in tonally appropriate grays, cut by fireworks and the neon lights of the cinema when it is gussied up for a “big” premiere.
It goes without saying that Colman is as excellent as ever. Brittle and withdrawn at first, though hiding that side with a forced cheery facade, she slowly unravels as the pressure of swirling emotions and years of trauma take their toll.
Yet she’s matched beat for beat by Ward, who offers a sensitive, charismatic portrayal of a young man still looking for his place in a world where he isn’t always welcome. Despite an early dalliance with Janine, Stephen lights up around Hillary, and Ward plays that to the hilt.
Firth sheds the charm that usually undercuts the stuffier characters he plays––while you can see why Hillary might be swayed by him, he’s basically a power-happy scumbag who bristles when he spots her while he’s out for dinner with his oblivious wife.
Around them, the rest of the employees are an appealing, if slightly archetypal ensemble: Janine as a punky rebel, Neil the lanky, agreeable type, Norman gruff but kindhearted. And then there are the customers, a quirky assortment of cinemagoers, some who need a little nudge in the direction of the rules (such as finishing your meal before stepping into the theater) and others who prove to be more hateful than the staff had suspected.
‘Empire of Light’ is largely a quiet drama punctuated by moments that pop, including Hillary’s stage-storming moment at the premiere to drop some truths and make a scene, and her ultimate dissolution.
Yet if Mendes true aim was to celebrate the power of cinema to lift you up, he falters slightly here. A lot of that heavy lifting is given over to Jones’ projectionist character, who has monologues explaining how his beloved machines work and the ability of what they project to lift hearts. It can be a little on the nose at times, and the actual act of watching movies is a sidenote until late in the film.
The director also seems unaware exactly where he wants to end his film, a couple of natural conclusions showing up and sliding by before the emotional punch of the real finale.
A late act of racist violence, though keyed up earlier in the story, also feels vaguely out of place, the plot’s focus split for a subplot that has little fresh to say about race relations in the UK at the time and buttoned by an awkward scene between Hillary and Stephen’s mother Delia, played by Tanya Moodie. It does at least give us more of a glimpse into Stephen’s private life.
And none of its issues are enough to drag ‘Empire of Light’ into the murk. This is a thoughtful, reflective and often lovely film bolstered by its superb central performance and an evocative trip back to the 1980s (both their good and bad sides) likely to evoke nostalgic feelings even if you didn’t grow up in smalltown England.
With less of the self-conscious drawing on its director’s past than ‘The Fabelmans’, ‘Empire of Light’ offers its own dark charms and emotional fortitude.
Set in an English coastal cinema in the early 1980’s called the Empire, Hilary Small (Olivia Colman) is a theater manager dealing with unwanted sexual advances from her boss Mr. Ellis (Colin Firth), and her own mental health issues.
When a younger man named Stephen (Micheal Ward) begins working at the theater, Hilary and he start a relationship that will eventually change both of their lives forever.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Olivia Colman and director Sam Mendes about their work on ‘Empire of Light,’ how Mendes drew from his own childhood for the screenplay, Coleman’s approach to her character, Hilary’s relationship with Stephen, and creating the set on location.
Director Sam Mendes and Olivia Colman from ‘Empire of the Light.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Coleman, Mendes, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Michael Ward, and Tanya Moodie.
Moviefone: To begin with, Sam, can you talk about writing the screenplay, setting it in the 1980’s, and the themes you wanted to explore with this project?
Sam Mendes: Well, I wanted to explore primarily mental illness with this character of Hillary, that’s based loosely on my own mother. Growing up in that time in the early 80’s with somebody who was struggling with her mental health and fighting not to be pulled down into the darkness the whole time.
At the same time, my teenage years in the early 80’s, were a time of great excitement musically and in movies. On the other hand, it was a time of great social upheaval, very high unemployment in the UK, racial tension riots and what have you. So for me it’s trying to find those two. There’s an internal struggle going on in her and there’s an external struggle in the world, and eventually they collide.
MF: Olivia, can you talk about your approach to playing Hillary and what were some of the aspects of the character you were excited to explore on screen?
Olivia Colman: I was excited about all of it apart from the sex scenes, which I was terrified of but they turned out well and everyone made them comfortable. But I didn’t want to let Sam down. He put a lot of trust in me to play someone that was very personal to him.
I had Sam every step of the way to help me, so I knew I could ask him anything. I knew he would always be honest and I could say, “So when someone’s coming off Lithium, what’s that like?” I had Sam to describe every moment of it to me. It made my job very easy and I was excited to give it a crack really.
MF: Can you also talk about the relationship between Hillary and Stephen, why they connect with each other and how that friendship changes both of their lives?
OC: I think they see each other in a way that, well, he sees her, which no one does. He sees beyond the fact that she’s much older than him and he’s quite impressed with her academic background. I think because he’s clearly an academic young man, it’s quite obvious that she sees a dazzling, beautiful, vibrant young creature come into her world.
Everyone’s looking at him because he’s so beautiful and she’s thrilled that they react to each other. It’s genuine love. It’s something that is never going to last obviously, but there is something beautiful between them and it sort of transcends age and color. It doesn’t matter to them. I think that’s what was lovely about it.
MF: Finally, Sam, can you talk about the challenges of finding the right location for this film and transforming the Dreamland Margate Cinema in Kent into the Empire theater?
SM: I mean there’s something about the English countryside, particularly the English coastline, especially in winter, that has a grandness to it. Bleak slate, gray skies, and I grew up in and around that coastline. For me, I wanted to find somewhere that had that sense of emptiness and beauty, but at the same time, it needed to have a cinema that just looked straight out to sea. It was based on a cinema I remember from my childhood that was in Brighton, but that’s long since gone.
Then we found this amazing giant art deco palace sitting on the coastline in Margate, which is on the North coast of Kent actually. So, it’s where J. M. W. Turner painted his great paintings, and where T.S. Eliot wrote “The Waste Land.“ It’s a place of real melancholy and strangeness, but beautiful as well.
There was the cinema and that gave us everything. I sort of moved in for a week and rewrote the script so that it fitted the environment, and it fit the location because I’d imagined a different kind of town, but I felt this was better. So, really we made it for and around this one seaside town and it gave us a lot.
If you’re curious as to what new movie this week might be best for you, Moviefone is here to help you find it and watch it. This week’s selection of movies features a lot of well-earned adult angst, stunning landscapes, wildlife (emphasis on wild), and rockin’ out. Here are the movies we’re suggesting this week:
Nomadland (In Theaters & Hulu)
Frances McDormand in ‘Nomadland’
Frances McDormand plays Fern, a woman disenfranchised by the closing of a sheetrock plant in Nevada, and a wife devastated by the death of her husband. She decides to take to the open road as she ponders life and does whatever she pleases after a life that didn’t allow her that path. Along the way, director Chloe Zhao spotlights the stories of real life nomads that Fern meets, driving home the point that the America that people were promised sometimes fails to materialize. Set against the backdrop of incredible Western skies, the story allows for McDormand to make the intangible materialize. She has the power to turn lighting a sparkler into a clip they’ll use for her inevitable Oscar nomination.
Watch It If: You’ve ever thought about how freeing it would be to sell your belongings, get in your car, and just drive. For any McDormand stans, and viewers that crave the scenery of Easy Rider with the relatability and quietness of Boyhood, with a dash of Tree of Life poetry.
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Flora & Ulysses (Disney+)
Matilda Lawler in ‘Flora & Ulysses’
Flora (Matilda Lawler) is really going through it. Her parents have separated, and her life as a self-proclaimed cynic isn’t helping her see the bright side of things. She’s also obsessed with superheroes but lamenting how she doesn’t have any of her own in real life. Soon, she rescues a squirrel that she names Ulysses, and life starts to get interesting, including when her family realizes Ulysses can type and is quite the poet. Her life (and feelings) will surely never be the same after this.
Watch It If: You need a follow-up for this week’s Disney+ episode of Wandavision that will leave everyone in your family feeling warm and fuzzy…and much kinder towards rodents.
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Supernova (PVOD)
Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth in ‘Supernova’
More adults in a camper here, but this time in England, with Stanley Tucci as a man suffering from early-onset dementia, and Colin Firth as his husband struggling to care for him. They are on a farewell tour of sorts, before Tucci no longer remembers the friends they’re going to see. Firth has stepped back from his career as a pianist and silently wrestles with worry. Longtime friends in real life, the two paint an unforgettable, emotional picture of a couple, for better or for worse.
Watch It If: You would like to know what’s it’s really like to hang out with The Tooch and Firthy. The intimacy in this film is off the charts.
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I Care a Lot (Netflix)
Rosamund Pike in ‘I Care a Lot’
Marla Grayson, a woman whose smile doesn’t ever reach her eyes, has a good thing going. She is played by an unsettling Rosamund Pike, and in the film is making a living stealing from the elderly. Her scheme involves hoodwinking judges into giving her legal guardianship over those who need her the most–or need someone anyway, hopefully one more honest. Unfortunately for Marla, her latest victim happens to have ties to the powerful people, and they have strong opinions about Marla’s methods.
Watch It If: You get especially hot under the collar seeing predators targeting the more vulnerable members of our society, and then live for them getting their comeuppance. Also if you need a dose of Chris Messina, he’s here dropping truth bombs.
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Body Brokers (In Theaters & VOD)
Michael K. Williams and Jack Kilmer in ‘Body Brokers’
Utah (Jack Kilmer) and Opal (Alice Englert) are two kids in Ohio who abuse drugs and commit crimes. It doesn’t look like much more is on the horizon for them, until Wood (Michael K. Williams) shows up promising them a better life in a California live-in rehab center. Utah is intrigued by the idea to heal his body and finally get to see the ocean. Soon, his challenges with sobriety are compounded by learning that drug rehabilitation is big business, and there are plenty of scavengers looking to exploit it at the cost of others.
Watch It If: You want to see another story about something helpful being destroyed by capitalism in a big grift that only hurts the little guy, a’la The Big Short. No bubble bath explainer scenes in this film, though.
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Rock Camp (PVOD)
Dave Mustaine (far right) in ‘Rock Camp’
It turns out that anybody can share a stage with rock royalty like Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, Roger Daltrey, and Steven Tyler, as long as they enroll in Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. This documentary shows how 20 years ago, tour producer David Fischof wanted to give people the chance to live and jam like a rock star. With the help of music legends, he’s brought the dream to life, with rehearsals and performances, and now this documentary that’s going to make it impossible to get a spot–darnit, how is the line ALREADY busy?!
Watch It If: Seeing rock legends bonding over their shared love of music with guys wearing Dockers makes you a little misty. Which it really should.
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