Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)

Purely Joyful Movie!

Powerful

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Even though this is a beautiful looking movie it is totally devoid of any truth.The royals only visited for a day. Why did they visit? With the world on the brink of war the point of their visit seems ignored.Daisy is 20 years older than depicted. Her relationship with Roosevelt was much more than a physical relationship. There was nothing dirty about it but a total trust in each other. Roosevelt, by this time, was very tired, physically and emotionally.Murry's depiction is one dimensional.This is only a simple story but so much more could have been put into this to tell the very interesting true story of this weekend. It seems the point of the movie is to deride the royals, the way of life of the President and those in his life.Add to this a slow, boring interpretation of this pure fiction I only give it a rating of one because of how beautiful it looks.

In some film portraits of famous people, it can be common for filmmakers to not directly focus on the prominent historical figure, but to have a side character (sometimes fictional) tell the story from their point of view. Sometimes this is done because the celebrity at the film's focus might be so larger than life that it is too difficult to tell their story their way. The side character becomes an extension of the audience, a way for them to get inside the world of the film and let them into the private lives of public people. Think about the 2006 film "The Last King of Scotland" about Idi Amin, only told through the perspective of his fictional Scottish doctor. But in the case of Roger Michell's "Hyde Park on Hudson", it might be because the filmmakers are not sure what story they really want to tell.We start the movie with narration from Daisy, a distant cousin of FDR who begins an implied affair with the leader of the free world in the spring of 1939 while the President stays at his mother's home in upstate New York, the title of the picture. Practically all of the film's problems stem from this character. There are some schools of thought that say narration in a film is the easy way out. I think it can be used quite creatively, but in "Hyde Park on Hudson", it feels too much like it's filling in the expository details that the script couldn't manage.While this relationship might have some historical fact to it, it really doesn't warrant a feature length film. What's worse is that they got a great actress in the form of Laura Linney to play such a thankless and empty role. And it's the main character! There are some humanizing touches that reveal how she is caught in between two worlds, but the filmmakers would have been wiser to focus on another aspect to tell the story.The film never feels like it starts until the King and Queen of England are introduced. They come to visit the President at his home away from the White House to confirm that they are in fact allies right before Europe goes up in flames. Played by Samuel West and Olivia Colman respectively, they add some of the films funniest moments as well as dramatic. History buffs will be disappointed after a little research to learn that this film and what it depicts are mostly a work of fiction, a historical chamber piece that takes great liberties for the sake of entertainment. However, the most enjoyable moments come from watching the King and Queen's fish out of water take on their American hosts.I haven't even mentioned Bill Murray's performance as President Roosevelt, the film's saving grace and perhaps the best thing about it. Because of the confused script, Murray only has about one scene of meaty dialogue and a chance to showcase his acting. It is a late night drink between the two world leaders where they exchange vulnerabilities that is the heart of the film. Murray's witty sensibilities as an actor work well with the laid back depiction of FDR. Whether he is arguing with the women in his life or mentally messing with his Royal guests, he is brilliant.So what we end up with is a missed opportunity. We have a film that doesn't really know what it wants to say, and thus ends up feeling like two different movies, one very good and the other meandering. Still, the whole thing is a harmless (and short) affair, and worth seeing if you are a fan of Bill Murray.

If you like dreamy movies with atmosphere, this film is a sheer delight. The President emerges as a warm, immensely human persona, who urges his aids to spy on his somewhat controlling and volatile mother. The royal visit, though probably historically inaccurate, is displayed with tongue in cheek humor and excellent performances.Laura Linney is understated and poignant, with a hint of bittersweet.I was also surprised to find a Cherokee Dance at the royal picnic--who could ask for more in a movie?The British filming location adds a wistful and lovely atmosphere, intensifying the romantic and complex frolic of events.

I enjoyed this movie, it is entertaining mostly, but as I watched it something just didn't seem right. Later I read some comments by a FDR biographer and it cleared up a few things. An excerpt: " The story is ludicrous - any reading of Geoffrey Ward's book, "Closest Companion," which tells their story through her letters and diaries, indicates no intimate relationship. I have been writing and lecturing on FDR for decades and ...I have no doubt that this film is more of a parody and its conclusions should not be taken with any seriousness." So in truth they have taken a few real people and real events and made a movie which stretches the truth often, and sometimes simply invents things just to try to make it more interesting. FDR really did have a cousin Daisy, and they really did develop a close friendship, but the alleged affair appears to simply be made up. Plus a number of other things portrayed in this movie.The King and Queen of England really did visit him in 1939 at his Hyde Park on the Hudson retreat in New York, but what is depicted in the movie is more of a parody of them and their visit.Still for the most part I found it to be an enjoyable and entertaining movie as long as you don't take it too seriously. Bill Murray is FDR and Laura Linney is his 6th cousin Daisy. Olivia Williams seemed very appropriate as Eleanor Roosevelt.