Compelling Love Story Dragged Down by Hype and Bad Source Material

Rating: 10/10 (19 October 2016)

Christian Grey said "I don't do romance." Neither do I. I've never read a "romance novel" in my entire life, let alone one that was universally panned as being badly written. I didn't know who Jamie Dornan was, had never seen Dakota Johnson in a movie or TV show, and hadn't paid much attention to magazine articles or reviews of Fifty Shades of Grey. I first watched the movie long after everyone else had moved on.
Fifty Shades of Grey, considered on its own merits, is a compelling movie.
Let's start with "rich." Christian Grey is very, very, very rich. The director, art designer, and set designer created a beautiful and believable billionaire's world. It was also tasteful and elegant. The world-class artwork is evocative of the Pacific Northwest, the location of the movie. Kudos on the sumptuous environment and for the discreet way it was handled in the film. We inhabited the world and were able to appreciate it without having it shoved down our throats. No one ever talks about how much the helicopter cost, for instance.
The costume designer dressed Christian in understated and very expensive clothing. Classic suits are a good choice for a young billionaire. Dressing well in "grown-up" clothes lends him gravitas. And, well, when you are working with Jamie Dornan's face and body, you don't need to go fancy. Showcase the face and body. Both are off-the-charts gorgeous.
Anastasia Steele's world and wardrobe were also handled well. Totally believable.
Let's talk about the lovers. Anastasia and Christian had a prolonged "meet-cute" that worked. The office scene in which Anastasia interviews Christian was an expertly handled introduction for viewers. She's a virginal, very intelligent but unsophisticated student. She's not meek though. She challenges him. He's hyper-controlling, even of himself, and highly successful. There's sadness there. Anastasia reaches something within him.
Dornan took a lot of heat for his portrayal of Grey but I think he was brilliant. Dornan's body movements were tight and his voice was modulated because he was, wait for it, "controlled." Christian is a damaged man and he moves and speaks in a way designed to protect himself. Dornan's eyes gave away what he was feeling. Those eyes became more and more expressive as his feelings for Anastasia grew.
Dakota Johnson's Anastasia was sublime. She was utterly naturalistic in her acting and utterly believable. If Dornan's eyes were the key to understanding Christian, Johnson's mouth was the key to understanding Anastasia. Johnson can do more with a nanosecond flex of the muscles on the side of her mouth than most actresses can do with 10 lines of dialogue.
The dialogue was the biggest problem with this movie but I've come to understand a lot of the dialogue was verbatim from the book. Too bad. The dialogue was sometimes but, thankfully, not too often, laughable. "I'm fifty shades of f....ed up." We have to give the actors credit for selling some lines that were real clunkers.
Finally, let's talk about the sex scenes. I thought they were sexy, each scene in its own way. Christian could be remarkably tender with Ana. When he wasn't being tender, nothing he did shocked me. But I didn't need to be shocked. It's a love story. I cared about the characters and enjoyed seeing them enjoy each other. Dornan and Johnson had chemistry and beautiful bodies. Okay. I'm in.
The scene in which Christian beats Anna with a belt was the catalyst for their break-up. I don't like to watch men beating women but it's important to remember that she asked him to do it and that is was ritualistic. "Count, Anastasia." That's what redeems the character of Christian here. If he'd beaten her in anger, it would be a very different story. And he was clearly upset afterwards. And devastated when she leaves him.
Here's my advice. If you haven't already seen Fifty Shades of Grey, try watch it without expectation. Watch it without reading too many reviews (except this one, of course.) If you're thinking about watching it again, watch it knowing that the director and actors paid great attention to detail. Fifty Shades of Grey is an understated movie surrounded by hyperbole and pseudo-controversy. Tune out the noise. Let the movie speak for itself.