Review of Gods and Monsters (1998) by Jennifer A — 26 Feb 2006

I've rewatched this film and bumped it up to an 8.

[b]Gods and Monsters (1998) - 8.1/10[/b].

Director - Bill Condon.

Starring - Ian McKellan, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave.

[b]Gods and Monsters[/b], written and directed by Bill Condon, is a thought-provoking drama exploring the unique friendship of two men. James Whale (Ian McKellan) is a retired director most famous for his Frankenstein movies. Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser) is his gardener. Whale soon invites Clayton to have some tea, and then asks if Clayton will pose for drawing. The naive Clayton is unaware that Mr. Whale also happens to be gay, which was Whale's initial motivation for the meeting. As the the friendship blossoms, the heterosexual Clayton learns about Whale's sexuality. At first he is repulsed, but his fascination with Whale allows the friendship to grow. Meanwhile Mr. Whale's devoted, yet highly religious maid Hanna (Lynn Redgrave) is suspicious of the relationship. She fears it might endanger Mr. Whale's frail health. However the two men continue to bond.

The script is extremely solid, and it handles the topic of homosexuality quite well. We see that Whale's physical urges continued into old age and ill health, and through his friendship with Clayton we learn about his past, not only as a director, but as a child and a WW2 veteran. Ian McKellan is excellent in this role, definitely an Oscar caliber performance. Lynn Redgrave is wonderful as well. Her love for Whale is sincere despite not agreeing with his sexuality. What kept this from being a great film in my opinion was the casting of Brendan Fraser as Clayton. Although this is the best performance of Fraser's career, he wasn't near the level of McKellan or Redgrave. Clayton's role is almost as signficant as Whale's, so I would have loved to seen a more accomplished actor in what was an "actor's movie." That said it's still a very good movie.