Film: Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
Cast includes: Bill Murray (Moonrise Kingdom), Laura Linney (Mystic River), Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense), Elizabeth Marvel (True Grit), Samuel West (Notting Hill)
Director: Roger Michell (Notting Hill)
Genre: Drama | Comedy | History (90 minutes)
“We had been rich… now we weren’t.” The year is 1939, and people are still struggling. “We learned not to expect anything… and then…” Daisy gets an unexpected phone call, and soon after, there’s a car to pick her up. “I wasn’t the first relative his mother called that day… we were 5th or 6th cousins, but she said he needed someone to take his mind off of things.” The entrance, with all the chaos, ringing phones and typewriters, is a total contrast with his study… which is dark and quiet. When she enters, her cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, recognizes her right away, even though they barely know each other. They really don’t have anything to talk about… the silence is awkward. “Do you collect stamps?” he asks. “Come take a look at these…” That leads to a conversation about all the heads of states Franklin’s met and the places he’s been. “Where would you like to go, Daisy?” “To be honest, I’d like to go just about anywhere,” she says. Franklin figures Daisy’s the perfect companion for a drive in the country… Eleanor doesn’t enjoy car trips.
The countryside is indeed beautiful, especially the field of purple flowers where Franklin stops the car. When Franklin takes her hand, Daisy is at first confused. By the time she begins to figure things out, the camera has cut away. “We were no longer just cousins, we had become very good friends,” she tells us. With all the problems he has to worry about, “Franklin says I help him forget.” Whenever he comes to his mother’s Hyde Park home… which he prefers to the White House… he calls Daisy. She becomes a regular in the President’s entourage. Still, she was caught off guard when he had a small house built in the woods… a place to share. There was one weekend in particular that not only changed the fate of the world, it changed Daisy’s life, too. England’s new King and Queen… with outstretched hands… needed to persuade the President of their former colony to support them against the growing menace in Europe. Instead of meeting them in the White House, he’s invites them to Hyde Park on Hudson.
Actual documents discovered among Daisy’s things after her death proved an irresistible inspiration for a movie. But that’s where the inspiration ends. Moviegoers are likely to find this one rather disappointing. For starters… Bill Murray as FDR? He doesn’t look like FDR, and at no point, does he remind us of FDR, even though we can see he’s trying. The beautiful Olivia Williams as Eleanor? That’s another mystery. Beyond that, there’s a real problem with chemistry. There isn’t any. In a movie about a “special relationship,” there’s supposed to be chemistry. There’s zero. In real life, FDR was a very charismatic figure, but this FDR is totally flat… as is the film. On the royal visit, the Queen takes issue with the way they’re being treated. The hot dog lunch is the least of it. Moviegoers may not appreciate the way this movie treats them… it promises a lot more than it delivers.
1 popped kernels
The inside scoop on FDR’s meeting with King George VI on the brink of WWII… with a bizarre scandal to spice things up… or maybe it’s the other way around
Popcorn Profile
Rated: PG- (Violence, Sexual Content)
Audience: Young adults
Distribution: Mainstream wide release
Mood: Neutral
Tempo: Pure adrenalin rush
Visual Style: Computer effects
Character Development: Engaging
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Pure entertainment
