Anonymous – A movie that thinks it’s better than it is

Smell that? The sweet aroma of high-minded literary controversy in the film medium? Or perhaps that’s the overly maudlin and overwrought scent of Anonymous, the latest film from terrible director Roland Emmerich (Godzilla, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day featuring Will Smith, 10,000 BC) — and before you ask, yes, this is in fact his finest work to date. But that’s not exactly high praise.

The movie is about the old controversy of Shakespeare authorship, in particular it’s a proponent of the theory that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, penned the famous plays and other works of William Shakespeare, played here by Rafe Spall (Shaun of the Dead). The Earl is played ably and mildly by Rhys Ifans (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1), a prodigy who does not wish to publish publicly due to the associated stigma in Elizabethan society. He instead hires Benjamin Jonson (Sebastian Armesto) to publish under his name instead, but Ben is too wary and instead that nutty Shakespeare takes the credit to wild aplomb and applause.

Naturally, Shakespeare is portrayed as a boorish and illiterate scumbag, because a man of common birth surely could never write such wondrous plays! Nay, only a man ’tis from high birth could scarce pen such fine works of genius! Or not. Via prodigious and confusing overuse of flashbacks, the story is revealed that the Earl was once a lover of Queen Elizabeth I (played young by Joely Richardson and old by Vanessa Redgrave) while not forgetting about the illegitimate bastards and misbegotten romances! And the slightly historical rebellion too! This movie is filled with plotline upon plotline and thread upon thread until two hours have been stuffed to the gills with melodrama and crying.

There is an awful lot wrong with this movie, but let’s start with what doesn’t fail. The acting is mostly excellent, with even nutty Shakespeare enjoyable to watch and several bit characters amusing as well. Rhys Ifans is encumbered by ridiculousness but he mostly acquits himself — and as for the Queens, Joely Richardson is actually better than Vanessa Redgrave, who overacts a bit in her “Old Queen” role. The directing is mostly decent from a purely visual perspective, although the thematic choices and expository overtones are all iffy. Sir Derek Jacobi provides ridiculously written faux-Shakespeare narration — and is really only involved because he personally supports the movie’s Oxfordian theory of authorship.

So the movie is too long, has too far much going on, has far too many ridiculous twists, and does not deserve the emotional resolutions it attempts to push. And that’s not even mentioning the controversial theory itself, which is sure to infuriate some by concept alone. But the truth is, the movie acts like it’s quite clever — but as it turns out, it’s just an overly lengthy period piece with some good acting and really quite silly twists.

It’s not all bad — but it’s not all that good either. As the Bard said, “Brevity is the soul of wit” — a lesson that should’ve been utilized for Anonymous.

Clacked by Jeremy Fogelman
on Oct 28, 2011 @ 03:30 EST5EDT