A ton of potential lost on a clumsy script and direction

Rating: 7/10 (3 August 2015)

Woman in Gold could have been this year's "The Book Thief." It has all the earmarks of being an amazing film that would be all over the awards but it won't be and it sort of came and went without anyone noticing. Why would that be? Simple. The film feels clumsy. The editing was not proper, the pacing is off, the performances feel jilted because of the editing and it misses the mark considering the potential behind it. Its still a good movie, some very strong moments where you really see how this could have shined and then in the same breath it misses a step and stumbles. I went from being bored, to being sincerely impressed, to being bored again and then by the end of the film everything feels very anti-climatic and because the film is so disjointed, the movie ends up being forgettable which is a true shame. Perhaps they could have focused more on the court case or the background story set during WWII but they sort of bounce around too much and never give the audience a chance to really sink themselves into the story. This is one of those movies that is especially frustrating because it isn't bad and it has these moments where it truly shines and it only serves to show you what could have been.
The film has a very strong leading cast. Helen Mirren is a great actress of course and she is good in this role. I can't help but feel she doesn't quite give it her all but maybe that's all part of a poor script or direction. Ryan Reynolds also gives a strong dramatic performance as the lawyer who finds himself drawn into her case. His character is actually more complex than what you might think and he has a personal tie to the background with his grandfather and he has a couple of really good emotional scenes. He and Mirren are very good together and its sort of reminiscent of a Philomena kind of relationship but doesn't come close to that film. Katie Holmes is okay but very underused as Reynold's wife. I happen to think Holmes is a good actress given the chance but this role is very very small. Tatiana Maslany (I adore her) plays the young Maria (Mirren's character) She is good but the story doesn't give her enough either but she certainly gets the majority of the intense story. Daniel Bruhl, Max Irons and Charles Dance are supporting characters that are very sparingly used and don't get a chance to really stand out.
I often notice with directors that spend a lot of time in Television, like Simon Curtis, that they have trouble pacing a two hour film versus unfolding a plot over multiple episodes. Woman In Gold is a good movie. Its a solid dramatic piece that is entertaining enough and tells a good story and a powerful one and the reason I find myself saying more bad than good is because the potential here was so great and it ends up being very forgettable and that's hard to get past. Still check it out for Mirren and Reynolds and for an interesting story based on fact. Just go in with reserved expectations. 7/10