Review of A Little Chaos (2015) by Robert B — 14 Aug 2015

Sumptuous costumes, beautiful locations, and a near-minimalist sound track put in exquisite juxtaposition to a baroque setting are not enough to save this humdrum romance from settling into dullness. Winslet is good, but Schoenaerts looks and comes across like Vladimir Putin at a costume ball.

Rickman doesn't quite fit into the elegant surroundings and at times seems like a sovereign lacking confidence for no apparent reason. Methinks the French revolution might have come sooner had The Sun King been as flimsy as Rickman portrays him.

The lack of impactful performances may have been influenced by a too-subtle script that the actors simply weren't able to pick up on. There are fine aspects to this film, but it's really not a crowd pleaser.