Review of Anonymous (2011) by Eriq O — 24 Apr 2013

When I saw the poster for Anonymous, I was intrigued; a movie about the Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship, it questions Shakespeare's legacy. The belief that he never wrote any of his plays or sonnets, is a theory I'd never heard of until this film. And while it may be as factually as the Da Vinci Code, damn, if it's not interesting.

However, seeing the name Roland Emmerich doesn't evoke character drama, as the director of Independence Day, Godzilla, and 10,000 BC; he'll always be known for explosions, massive action sequences, and the relentless destruction of planet earth than any of his dramas. Dramas like Stargate and The Patriot two films that underneath their action and effects, actual carry a solid emotional core.

Then there's Rhys Ifans, an actor better known for silly comedies like Little Nicky, The Replacements, and as the half-naked roommate in Notting Hill; so, to the everyday movie watcher, he's no thespian. But, he was one of The Amazing Spider-man's dramatic anchors as Dr. Connors, aka The Lizard. Here he plays Edward de Vere, the man believed to be the 'real' Shakespeare, and he's unrecognizable. Similarly to Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon, there's an odd confirmation of comedy being harder than drama when you're watching him.

The more I learn about the Oxfordian theory (and others like it), the more I think about this film. It doesn't matter if Edward de Vere, was indeed the real Williams Shakespeare, but the moment you say 'maybe' is the moment you get lost in this fairly sappy melodrama.

So, an action director and a class clown can pull of a purely character driven movie. Without the safety net of action or slapstick and they do it well.

I've used the term masterpiece-of-shit before, this movie could definitely be seen as such. However, Anonymous is more of a borderline masterpiece, a movie that feels factual and genuine but deep down is lying 24 times every second, but I remember someone saying 'The camera lies all the time; lies 24 times/second.' 8/10.