Hyde Park on Hudson

Starring: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Elizabeth Marvel, Samuel West
Directed by: Roger Michell
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Daisy (Laura Linney) and her cousin, FDR (Bill Murray) form an unlikely bond as he seeks to escape the pressures of being the President of the United States.

Review:

Tim: This shocks me to say, but I hated Hyde Park on Hudson. I remember hearing awards buzz for Bill Murray and potentially Laura Linney, so I went into this expected a solidly made biopic that featured strong acting performances. I was met with a bland, dull, completely forgettable movie that I wish I had slept through, instead of paying attention. I feel like director Roger Michell is very uneven- he's directed some great movies, some bad movies, and everything in between. Unfortunately, Hyde Park on Hudson falls on the very low end of the scale. This is a bad movie, all around.

I get the idea of telling a story about a side of FDR that most people don't know. This isn't a film about his programs, his leadership, or what he accomplished as President. This is about who he was when he was away from all of that. This is a quiet little film about his romance with his distant cousin when he was out of the limelight. That's a fine idea, and I applaud the initial premise. Unfortunately, the execution is so far lacking that it's almost stunning. This is a boring, colorless movie that drags on and on. Even at 94 minutes, this movie feels way too long. There's some really scandalous, shocking truths to this story, and yet they come across as blasé and dull. That's stunningly bad. This movie never really knows what it wants to be, and as a result, it ends up being nothing much at all.

The performances are kind of good, but they didn't have much to work with. I suppose you could applaud Bill Murray for his portrayal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It's actually quite impressive, as he really does seem to embody the former President. He was nominated for a Golden Globe- Murray does give a pretty good performance, but it's not particularly memorable. He was good, but not great. I was surprised by how much I didn't care for Laura Linney's performance. Linney is one of the best actresses of all time (and horribly underrated). I love Linney, and when I see she's in a film, I immediately expect it to be good, as she usually makes good choices. This was a huge miss for her. She just seems silly and out of place here. Her performance was bland. We (as the audience) desperately needed to love her character and connect with her. This did not happen. Most of this is due to the absurd writing, but some of it is Linney's inability to connect with the audience. This is a head-scratcher, but she doesn't do what she needs to do. She and Murray have zero chemistry, which really hurts the film.

Honestly, I just do not understand this movie. Whatever it was trying to be and trying to achieve, it failed miserably. This is a film that was quite difficult for me to sit through, and I promise I will never, ever watch this movie again. It's just a bad movie all around. Hyde Park on Hudson seems to be a prestigious, award-worthy film. That couldn't be further from the truth. Just because you dress a dog up in a bowtie and nice clothes, doesn't change the fact that it is still a dog. This movie sucks and no amount of fake posturing can change that. Avoid this movie at all costs.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 4.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Notting Hill, Changing Lanes