An expected disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (16 July 2006)

A few weeks before seeing the film I started reading the book. I had read about one third of it when I misplaced it between hotels but had no urge to replace it. The movie gave me the same feeling. I had no problem sitting through it (although it was rather long), but had some emergency forced me to leave it would not have bothered me. The plotting seemed mechanical, as if a computer told the screenwriter to "insert a plot element here, insert a plot element there," etc.
I felt that Tom Hanks was miscast in the lead role. The audience would have been better served if Langdon had been portrayed by an actor who can drive events, rather than be driven by them. And Audrey Tautou was the wrong actress to play Sophie. There was no chemistry between her and Hanks, and it would have been a better movie had the chemistry been there. Hanks is 20 years older than Tautou, but that happens all the time in movies. I think Tautou's problem is that she has had very little experience in English-language films.
Two supporting actors stand out. Sir Ian McKellen's scenery chewing was entertaining, but it could have been used in any movie, or as a one-man stage performance. The only actor who might be considered for an Academy Award nomination is Paul Bettany for his sympathetic portrayal of a deranged killer.
Overall, the film left little impression on me. As I left the theater I felt that I should check the box stating that I had seen the movie, and then file and forget.