A Royal Waste

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2009)

I was in England when Blair was elected. The sentiment was very much the same as it was in the U.S. when Clinton came to power, a young, vital man ushering in a new age of idealism and renewal (I'm convinced now that we'll have this once every 20 or so years until the end of time, or elections). It's interesting to note that Peter Morgan is now working on a Bill Clinton script.
I didn't love this film though. Thought Mirren was good, thought the same of Sheen. I was disappointed by the Frears/Morgan commentary on the DVD. I expected a little more from two very intelligent men.
It's hard to grasp as an American how consumed British culture is with royal goings on. It's an integral part of their ethos, so maybe that's why the film didn't completely grip me. I found most interesting the notion of the decline of civility and "quiet dignity" in favor of the loud, raw truth of liberalism.
Elizabeth II is an intriguing figure and I wish some other aspects of her life and the life of her country were explored. She lived through WWII, stood watch as Britain transformed from empire to commonwealth, oversaw its decline into relative global impotence. She watched as it appropriated elements of American pop culture and liberalism which shook her existence to the core -- this woman is a relic, a symbol, a grotesque waste of money. I wish Frears/Morgan had addressed these issues more than the family dynamic, which barely held my interest.