Notes on a Scandal Reviews

"I hadn't been pursued like this for years... I knew it was wrong, and immoral, and completely ridiculous, but, I don't know. I just allowed it to happen."

Based on Zoe Heller's novel What Was She Thinking?, 2006's Notes on a Scandal is a drama-thriller in the mould of films like Fatal Attraction and Single White Female. It's a movie which burrows into the human psyche in order to explore the deepest, darkest recesses of obsession and loneliness. On top of this, Notes on a Scandal is very much an acting main event which brings together two of the greatest actresses of this generation - Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett - and pits them against one another. Suffice it to say, the resulting flick is sublimely engaging.

An elderly battle axe of a teaching veteran, Barbara Covett (Dench) enjoys writing in her diary on a constant basis, chronicling fantasies and experiences as she gossips for her own entertainment. Past the age of 70, Barbara is approaching retirement, and has become overly cynical and disenfranchised with today's youth and school system. Enter naïve new high school teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett), whose idealistic aspirations exceed her abilities, and who has trouble fitting in with the experienced educators. Sheba finds a good, strong friend in Barbara, though, and the pair hit it off marvellously. However, Barbara soon witnesses Sheba having a sexual tryst with 15-year-old schoolboy Steven (Simpson). She agrees to protect the secret, but begins advising Sheba on what to do about the situation, all the while harbouring a more sinister agenda.

Notes on a Scandal is so effective thanks to its penchant for fascinating character psychology. With the narrative framed by voiceovers in the form of entries in Barbara's private journal, we are invited into Barbara's head from the very outset. On the surface Barbara seems like a sweet, frail old woman, but her acerbic internal thoughts provide an effective snapshot of her calculating mind that's overloaded with pretentious, unforgiving thoughts as she discusses her recent conquests and schemes. Barbara is the antagonist of the film of course, and your sympathies will likely be with Sheba due to how human she is, but Barbara is nevertheless fleshed-out and three-dimensional enough that you cannot flat-out label her as a bad person. Another strong suit of Notes on a Scandal is the dialogue, which is consistently engaging. Screenwriter Patrick Marber (who also wrote Closer) has done a phenomenal job of translating the book to the screen, leading to a much-deserved Oscar nomination.

Marber's script was magnificently brought to life by director Richard Eyre, whose efforts keep the film moving forward at a swift pace with literally no lags or boring patches. Sure, it'd be easy to craft a great movie with such a superlative script and this ensemble of fantastic performers, but it fell to Eyre to keep the film tight and disciplined; a task he fulfilled magnificently. Such luminosity extends to the Oscar-nominated score by Phillip Glass, which is permeated with layers of strings to add further dimension to the onscreen action. On a less positive note, though, Notes on a Scandal falters as it approaches the finish line. Writer Patrick Marber lightened up the tone of the ending of Heller's book, leading to a poor final scene that feels too mainstream-friendly. Ultimately, the conclusion does not match the story's potential, and it flames out on a note of "meh" rather than staying true to the dark emotional intensity preceding it.

At its heart, Notes on a Scandal is a masterclass of acting, with Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett perfectly bringing life to their flawed, multifaceted characters. Dench has consistently shown that she's a versatile actress, but here she manages to surprise us yet again. While the role asked for Dench to be cruel and callous, she also had to sell the character's vulnerability as well as Barbara's sweet old woman exterior. Remarkably, she pulled it off. This could be Dench's finest performance to date; she's a tour de force, tackling the role of Barbara as if it was tailored for her. Her work is deliciously rich as well, making multiple viewings absolutely essential in order to catch all of the nuances on display. Meanwhile, Cate Blanchett is a perfect acting foil for Dench. Enthralling and emotionally dense, Blanchett inhabits the role; you feel as if you're seeing Sheba instead of just Blanchett. Not to be overlooked, the often comically-oriented Bill Nighy proves here that he's a strong dramatic actor. His interactions with Sheba and his Down Syndrome-suffering son are perfectly naturalistic and convincing, and a scene discussing Sheba's schoolboy dalliance proves that Nighy can handle intensity and emotion.

Student-teacher relations are certainly a topical issue in this day and age. Such criminal offenses are alarmingly common, and each case often gets plenty of press. A very adult film, Notes on a Scandal tenderly explores these types of relationships within the context of a transfixing psychological thriller brimming with emotional intensity. Viewers expecting a Dench/Blanchett pair-up to play for more a conservative or mainstream audience are advised to take note of its subject matter before watching.

7.8/10

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Cate Blanchett, I was really eager to check it out. Cate Blanchett is definitely one of the best actresses at work nowadays and if you're not convinced yet, you should definitely watch this feature. Indeed, she gave a rather impressive performance and she managed to give her character some very interesting layers. Concerning Judi Dench, I wasn’t completely sure, to be honest. I mean, she also delivered a fine performance, no doubt about it and with Blanchett, they provided a very interesting duo on the screen. It’s just that the main character was already going through a lot in this movie and to add this old spinster with some lesbian feelings was a little bit too much to deal with. I mean, you already have to deal with one flawed but very interesting woman so to add another one also with some major issues was maybe too much to handle for a drama like this one. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a fascinating character study going pretty deep into the human pyschology and I think it is definitely worth a look.

This film made me feel really quite depressed because it was obviously a depressing and very personal storyline. It is a very dark film because it mostly features about obsession, commitment and love. It is like a paedophile story too because a female teacher is having a love affair with a student. He leads her on but she cant resist him so that is where she becomes torn between the young lad and her family. It is a very emotional as well as a disturbing thriller. The acting was absolutely fantastic from the whole cast. They were all very powerful and very emotional which fitted perfectly with the character.


Judi Dench delivers a really powerful performance as Barbara Covett. Judi makes Barbara more of a lonely, bitter and selfish cow than she already is. She makes Barbara quite a destranged and fearful character too. Cate Blanchett delivers an even more powerful performance as young teacher Sheba Hart and is in my opinion, the greatest supporting actress performance of all time. She was truly torn between a young boy she couldnt resist and her family life with her husband, son and daughter. I really liked Cate and Judis partnership together in this film. The scene where Sheba discovers something drastic, that scene was really powerful from Cate and Judi which became my favourite scene of the film. I wasn't that keen on Bill Nighy in this film really but I did like Andrew Simpson as Steven Connolly because he truly did look like an irresistable young man who anyone can fall for as Sheba did.


I thought the direction was excellent from Richard Eyre but mostly was impressed with the script of the film. It was a very powerful script that the lines were said at the correct scenes at the exact right time. This film affects anybody who is torn in a relationship.


This film became one of the best British films of 2006 after Casino Royale. It shows how powerful a lot of British films can be. I was only a little bit disappointed with that I didnt quite feel the love between Sheba and Steven. Apart from that light flaw I thought this film was amazing and is one of the best films of 2006 and maybe even of all time too.

I've been delaying seeing this film, mostly I think because seeing a wife cheat on a family with a 15 year old boy, and then get blackmailed by a crazy old witch didnt seem like a fun night at the movies, a bit too MUCH drama if you know what I mean, but the performances were so riveting it just drew me in and I kept watching and was stunned by how well the film flowed. So many mind-blowing lines were delivered, some hilarious (but he's mature for his age!), some very deep and philosophical, like most of Judy Dench's lines, and some emotional and perfectly delivered, almost tear-enducing, such as the whopper Bill Nighy delivered near to end to his wife:

"I knew who you were when we met. You were young. I knew it might get tough, but I was prepared. You're a good mother, but at times you've been a f**king lousy wife. Why didn't you come to me? You could have told me how lonely you were. You never trusted me to help you. I'm not saying that I was so f**king fabulous, but I was here."

Loved the film. One of my favorite psychological thrillers/dramas. Really makes you question 'loneliness' which both main characters suffered from, but each took a different approach to it.

and doucedouce, to comment on your review, I too felt there was lack of 'chemistry' between Cate and the young boy, but I think it was intentional. This film wasn't about the boy, or about trying to explain why a grown woman would fool around with a young boy. There was no 'love' between them, which explains lack of chemistry; it was meant just to show pure lust on her part and to keep it simple, while rest of the complex story has room to expand.

Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the new art teacher, meets Barbara Covette (Judi Dench), the history teacher; they soon become friends. Barbara is lonely with her cat while Sheba has a husband (Bill Nighy), a son with Down Syndrome, Ben (Max Lewis) and a teenage daughter, Polly (Juno Temple).
One night, Barbara discovers Sheba's relation with 15-year-old student Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson). Barbara will also embark on an inappropriate relationship with Sheba.

I can not for the life of me, figure out *why* Sheba would be interested in Steven. There is no magnetism between them, and Simpson's character evidently has no appeal, no charisma...

Despite this, those were great performances by Dench and Blanchett, although at times it seemed that they overacted.
Nighy is an excellent actor, whom I've never seen before. (I'll have to find out what else he played in.)

The plot itself was way too basic and dull to be interesting - however I watched for the actors' not for the story. The ending was predictable, too much so for a 'thriller'. (I consider this more a drama than a thriller.)

Worth watching only for the actors' performances.
(I watched for the Dench-Blanchett match, and a match it was!)
8 stars for the actors.

The intensity that Dench and Blanchett give to their respective roles is exceptional, and their combined brilliance shines through in this movie. Notes is a provoking story of loneliness and how easy it would be for an intellectual mind to corner itself into a life of delusion and loneliness.

Besides The Departed, this is the best adapted screenplay of the year. From a terrific novel by Zoe Heller, Patrick Marber adapts another brilliant piece dealing with sex, affair and deceit. This plot is similar to Patrick Marber's 2004 screenplay of Closer, but different at the same time.

Two british film greats, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, star in this provocative drama. Judi being nominated for Best Actress at this year's Oscars and Cate, supporting actress. If Jennifer Hudson would have never sung her way to Oscar gold, Cate could have easily taken a second Oscar. Judi Dench was brilliant, too. Richard Eyre, who also directed Judi Dench in Iris, directs this film. He has not made many films in the past, but is now a respected director.

The plot goes (simply) like this: Sheba Hart (Blanchett) is the new art teacher at a high school where Barbara Covett (Dench) has been for a long time. They become close friends. Sheba is married with a family and one day after classes, Barbara discovers her having an affair with her 15 year old student. Barbara threatens to reveal her secret if Sheba won't spend more time with her. Barbara's obsession with Mrs. Hart leads to a downward spiral for both of them and in the end someone suffers greatly.

Terrific lines make for memorable scenes. "You think this is a love affair?!"

One of the best films of the year. This should not be missed by anyone.