Miss Potter (2007) Review

"There's something delicious about writing those first few words of a story.  You can never quite tell where they'll take you."
~Beatrix Potter, Miss Potter 

Sometimes I'm in the mood for a movie that will sweep me out of the here-and-now and transport me to another time and place with vivid characters in a powerful story that will leave me breathless, at the edge of my seat, wishing it wouldn't end.  Movies like Pride and Prejudice, Little Dorrit, The Scarlet Pimpernel and North and South all fit into that category.  But then there are times when I want to watch something quieter and more peaceful, something charming and sweet yet not at all trite.  That's when I watch Anne of Green Gables or Wives and Daughters... or Miss Potter.

If you haven't seen this movie, back off from this review right now, because I spoil things.  Badly.  In fact, when I watched Miss Potter a few weeks ago with my sisters Molly and Laura, who had never seen it before, they were hardly surprised by the Big Bad Thing that happened in the second half of the film, "because of the way Amy was acting in the entire first part."  Hee, hee.  My face is an open book, I see.

 Miss Potter is a biopic (read: a movie about a Real Person and Real Events, with some stuff made up) about the life of Beatrix Potter, beloved children's author.  Obviously, some of the scenes in the movie were invented by the screenwriters (see definition of "biopic") but the majority of the story is true to life--so be prepared, folks, it's not necessarily a fairy-tale ending (well, okay, depends on how you look at it. Ahem).

Okay, let's get down to business (no, not to defeat the Huns.  Stop singing that.  Please.  I can't think when people are singing in my ear).  Renee Zellweger (no, of course I did not have to Google the correct spelling of her name) plays Beatrix Potter, and in my humble opinion she completely nails the role.  (Okay, so she's not British--completely immaterial.)

Love the suit.  The hat, not so much.

One of the things I really loved about Miss Potter was the large number of recognizable actors.  I haven't seen Renee Zellweger in anything else, but I am familiar with Ewan MacGregor (Norman Warne), as many of you probably are too (yep, it's Frank Churchill from Emma 96!).  I liked him a hundred times better in this movie than in Emma--mostly because he's just such a nice guy, but also because he wasn't wearing that dreadful wig that resembled Arby's curly fries.  The mustache, however.... eh, we won't go there.  Let's just say that I like Mr. Warne's character so much that I am willing to forgive the bathtub scrubby brush on his upper lip.

Now this hat is more to my liking.

Norman Warne's sister Amelia (nicknamed Millie, hence the nickname given to me by a dear friend) is probably my favorite character in the entire movie.  At first, I wasn't inclined to like her, thinking "oh, brother, here's another of those women who's all I'm-single-and-I-don't-need-a-man-and-let-me-spout-my-rabid-feminism-to-all-these-stuffy-Victorians."   Ahem.  But I was quickly proved wrong (and was quite happy to be so).  Millie is simply hilarious--and quite quotable.  "You have something to confide?  How delicious!"

Beatrix's coat: cuuuuuute.

Also, her relationship with her brother was so adorable.  You could see how well they got along together and wanted what was best for each other.  I love seeing great sibling relationships like these in movies... I certainly don't blame Jane and Elizabeth Bennet for their dreadful younger sisters, but they aren't all exactly the best of friends.  And you can't say John Thornton and Fanny get along as swimmingly as they might.  And Sir Thomas Bertram's kids... okay, rabbit trail.  Back on track.

If all messy buns looked like that one, I would be prepared to like
messy buns, but nobody seems to do pompadours anymore.

Lucy Boynton, whom you might recognize from her role as Margaret Dashwood in S&S 2008, plays Young Beatrix (Beatrix Jr.? Nah, that sounds odd).  I don't think she looks (or sounds) much like Renee Zellweger, but she's cute and the flashback scenes to Beatrix's childhood are fun.  Especially the old nurse who frightens Beatrix's brother (whose name escapes me--somebody help!) with stories about the wee folk.  "I want one of BEATRIX'S stories! Hers are FUNNY!"

Matching hats.  How... um... sweet.

Barbara Flynn (Mrs. Jamieson in Cranford, Miss Browning in Wives and Daughters) plays Helen Potter, while Bill Paterson (Mr. Meagles in Little Dorrit, Dr. Gibson in Wives and Daughters) plays Mr. Potter, who must have a first name somewhere, but I'm not good with guys' names.  Have you noticed?  I liked Mr. Potter very much, despite his rather frightening mutton chops.  Mrs. Potter was a different story--okay, I know she only wanted what was best for her daughter, but there were times when I was inclined to agree with Millie and say that Beatrix's mothah is a monstah.

Speaking of monstahs, was anyone else severely annoyed by Norman's overbearing older brothers?  Maybe it was just because we all know who this guy is...

Anyways.  Fruing Warne was a meanie.  I did not like him.  (Though I can hardly blame him for being just a little bit of a sourpuss--the poor chap is doomed to go through life with a name like that!)
Moving randomly along...

"When You Taught Me How To Dance" was permanently stuck in my head for about two weeks after seeing that scene.  (Okay, so maybe it wasn't permanently stuck in my head if it only lasted two weeks, but... I didn't ask you.)  I feel as if I'm overusing the words "cute" and "adorable", but they really do fit that part.  The music box playing, the romantic little waltz, Beatrix's awkwardness (awww) and even the watchfulness of Miss Wiggin ("how festive!") all combined to make one of the sweetest scenes in the movie.  I said "one of", not "the" because...

The scene in the train station--oh, my melodramatically romantic heart went into ecstasies.  It was just so sweet--the first time I watched it, I teared up.  The second time, I bawled outright because I knew what was coming.  I believe this may have been what clued my sisters in, but one can never be sure.

Despite the SPOILERS! SPOILERS! sad thing that happened in the second half of the film END SPOILERS! this movie does end happily (well, okay, depends on how you look at it, as previously stated) and I felt warm and fuzzy inside after watching it.  Which is a very nice feeling indeed.  Would I recommend this movie? Indeed.  Is it a tearjerker? Indubitably.  Will you laugh your head off at certain points?  "Ashton's a crack shot!" (No further explanation necessary.)