Aesthetically Pleasing, But All Too Derivative

Rating: 5/10 (7 January 2016)

With all factors of the film considered The Danish Girl should be a sheer delight. On paper it's a perfect film; Tom Hooper as Director, Eddie Redmayne at the forefront of the picture and Alicia Vikander in a splendid supporting role. But in reality The Danish Girl is formulaic, unfulfilling and forgettable.
Einar Wegener played with delicacy by Eddie Redmayne is a confused individual. Unable to come to terms with his sexuality, he craves to wear women's clothes. He's not even comfortable in his own skin and is about to proceed with an operation that will change his life.
There are so many biopics nowadays that one has to discard the filth and meander some. The Danish Girl has both of these tragic qualities. Yet, if it had a solid script it would be a great film. There are far too many familiar lines that destroy any hope of sympathy for the flawed characters. Lines like; "We were playing a game" "Let's give them something special" and "I finally feel like my true self". Okay, I made the last one up, but you get the point.
From solely a production standpoint The Danish Girl is flawless. Beautiful shots of the surrounding landscape of Denmark, sell the time period and setting of the story. The music is suitably emotional and the performances are of the highest order. But that script, the way it kills any momentum and renders all drama meaningless and uneventful. The writing remains the most important part of a biopic. I need to believe that these events really did happen. But when the script feels this contrived and fails to generate the required emotion that the writer wants me to feel, then I'm afraid I can't believe in it at all.
The Danish Girl literally screams Oscar bait and melodramatic drivel. If you liked the film, then I'm happy for you. By all rights I should have fell in love with it. The film deals with a man who struggled to come to terms with his sexuality. I myself can relate to the character, having spent many years identifying myself. But in this day and age films that are merely passable and relatively harmless do not cut it anymore and The Danish Girl remains as conflicted as its central character.
C