Spencer

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Nielen, Freddie Spry, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris, Stella Gonet, Richard Sammel, Amy Manson, Sally Hawkins
Directed by: Pablo Larrain
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Diana (Kristen Stewart) struggles under the toxic environment created by being part of the royal family.

Review:

Tim: Spencer received much acclaim for Kristen Stewart's absolutely stunning portrayal of Diana Spencer. That's good, because there's not much else to celebrate here. I'm getting so frustrated with movies like this- that feature an award-worthy performance, yet the movie around the performer fails to live up to the standard they set. I didn't like Spencer very much, even though I adored what Stewart did here. There's not much else you can do but point the finger of blame squarely on director Pablo Larrain.

Larrain did the same thing a few years ago, yet to slightly better results. He had Natalie Portman deliver a stunning performance as Jackie Kennedy in Jackie, yet the movie itself didn't reach those heights. That was a good film, yes- it had its flaws, but it worked more often than it didn't. So, it makes sense that Larrain did the same thing with Princess Diana. The result is the same- an otherworldly leading actress performance, and a surrounding film that fails to meet expectations. Whereas Jackie resulted in 3 Academy Award nominations (one of them obviously Portman's), Spencer could only muster 1 (obviously for Stewart). That's one data point, but the Academy got it right. The only real thing to praise in this film is what Stewart does.

Let's talk a bit more about that. Stewart is a really talented actress, but doesn't always get the credit she deserves. Some of that is probably the Twilight effect- Robert Pattinson has fought hard to break out of that as well. I think that's immensely unfair. First off, those movies were good-to-decent. Secondly, Stewart has done so much more than play Bela. Here, she is at the height of her talent. Truly, I've never seen her so good. Stewart inhabits this character in a way that oftentimes felt spooky. I had to continually remind myself that I was watching Stewart and not Diana herself. Stewart has perfected her mannerisms, her movements, everything from the way she talks to the way she moves. Her dialect, her pace, tone- it all feels very un-Stewart-like. It's a truly stunning performance that speaks to the work Stewart put into the role, and then when the director called, "Action!" how she slipped into this character and brought her to life. It's truly a remarkable performance, the finest of her career and one of the best I've seen in recent years. I thought she was head-and-shoulders above Jessica Chastain in The Eyes of Tammy Faye (who was very good) and should have won the Academy Award. What's even more impressive is that Stewart delivers this performance in a movie that's a bit of a mess and a slog to get through. She was simply stunning here.

Now, I don't want to make this all about Larrain's decent but disappointing film. It's entirely possible his talent as a director is to craft a movie that doesn't really work that well, but it creates the space for an actress to shine beyond any set of expectations. That's not the worst thing in the world. Larrain certainly seems narrowly focused on highlighting Stewart's performance, often at the expense of story, entertainment, and sometimes sense. I want to acknowledge his role in elevating Stewart's performance- obviously this is his greatest strength when you see what he did with Jackie.

The movie itself felt supremely lackluster to me. Besides marveling at everything Stewart did, I didn't care much about the plot or the characters. Larrain blends reality and unreality in an interesting way, but it often felt manipulative and I had to question what I was seeing. This didn't happen in a natural way, nor one that drew me into the film. I understand Larrain was trying to portray Diana's mental state, but it was done in such a way that you felt like you couldn't believe anything completely. So, why be invested? We know how the story ends, what is the point of this one? I don't think it illuminated much about Diana that we didn't already know or anticipate. It wasn't fun to watch, nor especially interesting. It's a movie where the plot and point feel like they're always in the background- Stewart is bright and focused and everything else feels secondary, blurry, unfocused. That makes this just-under-two-hour movie feel longer. My engagement wavered. I felt mostly relief when the film ended.

Stewart does get some help in the film. The two standouts are Timothy Spall and Sean Harris. Spall is fantastic in his creepy, unsettling performance. He makes you understand the pressure and subtle influence that can be exerted on the royal family. I thought he toed the line between menacing and innocent exceptionally well. I also really liked Harris- this role is much different than what we're used to seeing from him. It showed the softer side of his talent and the movie was better for it. I thought Sally Hawkins did a nice job, but her role is fairly minimal. The cast is certainly the big strength of this film.

In the end, I left the movie feeling awed by Stewart and disappointed with the movie. I try not to blame Larrain too much, but I do wonder that if he crafted a better, slightly more accessible story, whether that would have been enough for Stewart to take home the Oscar. As it is, it's not the most fun movie to watch. I'd love to see Stewart's performance again, but I'd lament having to sit through this movie again. I don't know what Larrain will do next- he clearly has talent as a director, but he absolutely needs to learn how to craft a great movie, not just elicit great performances from his cast.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Jackie, The Queen