What a huge disappointment. Sometimes, when adapting a top novel, it is best to ditch the author and find someone who will distil the essence of the story to something that works on the screen. This was one such time. Deborah Moggach is one of my favourite authors, although I had avoided this particular romantic drama set in Amsterdam. I should have listened to the critics and steered well clear.
There are some very good cameos from Judy Dench and Tom Hollander but the lead roles are badly cast. I have always thought Alicia Vikander to be an excellent actress, but here she fails to portray the rags to riches young woman stuck in a marriage with an older man. Her lover Dane DeHaan is just dreadful and the central romance failed to deliver an ounce of passion.
The directing and editing is all over the place. The tulip market plays a central role, but I was totally bewildered about what was going on. The cuts between the romantic drama and the the mayem in the market just did not work. A real mess.
The Rex Cinema in Berkhamstead was showing a series of old Christmas movies and White Christmas was one of them in a stunning restoration. It was all very familiar and all so predictable. But enormous fun despite the dated feel.
You couldn't get a more different film than White Christmas than Bumblebee. Luckily, the scenes of transformers fighting each other were not too long. Mark Kermode had also remarked that this was the first transformer movie that he had enjoyed, and I agreed that the family drama woven into the script was pretty good. Hailee Steinfeld in the lead role was fine. Unfortunately the rest of the cast were all pretty hammy. But having a terrific screenplay (by Christina Hodson) that had heart made all the difference.
I almost forgot. There is the 1980's soundtrack. Wow! Lots of British artists, it even has Howard Jones!!!
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