A good movie

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, I thought it was a cute story but, to be honest, not much more than that. Indeed, I think it’s rather unlikely that her relationship with John Brown was the most interesting thing that happened during Queen Victoria’s reign which lasted more than 60 years. The fact that they used the same gimmick again with ‘Victoria & Abdul’ also starring Judi Dench is rather bewildering to me. Still, I have to admit that Judi Dench and Billy Connolly made the best of this material and they both delivered some really solid performances here. Especially for Judi Dench, after making an impression with ’Goldeneye’ a few years before, it was with this movie that she really got her breakthrough and, at her 60’s, she was quite a late bloomer but she quickly became one of the best actresses available. Coming back on this relationship, it was interesting how a monarch could struggle with a depression if nobody dared to have an actual conversation with them. Indeed, that was what John Brown basically did, even though he really respected her, probably more than everybody else in her entourage, he still talked to her as if she was an actual human being, which was something she not only really appreciated but also actually needed to get back on track. To be honest, I do believe that, making Brown becoming increasingly paranoid about the Queen’s safety, was really pushing it and, in my opinion, it was added there just because there was basically not enough drama in this story. Anyway, to conclude, even if I didn’t blow me away, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.