Albert Nobbs was a passion project of Glenn Close's for years, and now it's finally realized on the big screen, but probably not as well as she had hoped. The movie is admirable for what it tries to do, but I found the screenplay's characterization a bit uneven. Rodrigo Garcia's direction is decent stuff, elegant, but also a bit stuffy, draggy, and even bland in a way that hinders a good chunk of the cast, two in particular. Aaron Johnson sticks out like a sore thumb, and I adore Mia Wasikowska, but she just didn't do much for me in this movie.
However, the movie finds strength in the performances of two actors: Glenn Close and Janet McTeer. They, costume designer Pierre Yves-Gayraud, and the fantastic makeup artists have to go to great lengths to make us think their characters are male, and they succeed to the point that you forget these people are even women at all. Close is quietly controlled and emotionally layered, and McTeer is scene stealing with her gentle presence. They give two performances that deserve a lot better than the movie they're in.
**1/2 out of ****
However, the movie finds strength in the performances of two actors: Glenn Close and Janet McTeer. They, costume designer Pierre Yves-Gayraud, and the fantastic makeup artists have to go to great lengths to make us think their characters are male, and they succeed to the point that you forget these people are even women at all. Close is quietly controlled and emotionally layered, and McTeer is scene stealing with her gentle presence. They give two performances that deserve a lot better than the movie they're in.
**1/2 out of ****