Hyde Park on Hudson

Most films based on a biography usually span a number of years if not a complete lifetime, but with "Hyde Park on Hudson", this biopic spans the time of a weekend in a pre-WWII event in New York.

This is the story of the love affair between FDR (Bill Murray) and his very distant cousin, Daisy (Laura Linney), in real life actually named Margaret Stuckley, centered around the weekend in 1939, when King George (Samuel West) and Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) visited FDR and his wife Eleanor (Olivia Williams) in their home in upstate New York.
In pre WWII time, the U.S. and Great Britain experienced a certain amount of tension between one another, so FDR thought that having this visit at a more relaxed setting, as opposed to something formal like Washington, D.C., would be more conducive to possibly lifting these tensions, so they can bond as allies assuming that their involvement in the great war was imminent.

Others to round out the cast are Elizabeth Marvel as Missey, one of FDR's life-long assistants, Elizabeth Wilson as Mrs. Roosevelt, Martin McDougall as Tommy, Andrew Havill as Cameron, Eleanor Bron as Daisy's Aunt, Nancy Baldwin as Mrs. Astor, and Samantha Dakin as Mary the Maid.

This was well directed by veteran Roger Michell ("Persuasion" '95, "My Night with Reg" '97, "Titanic Town" '98, "Notting Hill" '99, "Changing Lanes" '02, "The Mother" '03, "Enduring Love" '04, "Venus" '06, "Morning Glory" '10). The way he was able to get his actors to go from a relaxed situation to a very intense and stressful one was so convincing, it kept you that much more captivated. It was equally well written by Richard Nelson ("Ethan Frome" '93, "Roots in Water" (short) '10). Considering the small theatrical experience this guy has, he will undoubtedly receive more work.

Production values wise, this film was right on the money--production design, makeup, photography, and specifically costume design by Dinah Collin ("Bloody Sunday" '02, "The Bourne Supremacy" '04, "Beyond the Gates" '05, "United 93" '06, "Flawless" '07, "The Ghost Writer" '10). As anyone can see, this designer has proven herself time and again, and certainly did in this production. No doubt she will be considered come Oscar time.

The one that will surely be nominated for an Academy Award here will be Murray as FDR. He was spot on. The look, the tonation, dialect, even that trademark smile that FDR would flash for the camera was amazing. If you're an FDR fan or a biopic fan, you will really get into this, but even if you're not, you will still be able to respect and even enjoy what it took to get this film off the ground at all.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                         Rated: R                             94mins.