Review of Hitchcock (2012) by Ian B — 06 May 2013

Hitchcock has plenty of style and a great cast, it's just too bad the script doesn't come close to capturing the spirit of the book and it all ends up coming off as rather bland. When the focus is on the set of Psycho it's incredibly entertaining.

Unfortunately too much time is spent watching Hitchcock at home sulking and bickering with his wife. The somewhat dangerous obsessions he had with his leading ladies is barely touched upon. The only chance the movie seems willing to take are scenes where Hitchcock has bizarre therapy sessions in his head with serial killer Ed Gien.

Too bad they don't really lead to anything...making them a nice touch, but ultimately pointless. With an edgier script and more time spent dealing with Psycho this could've been far more enjoyable.

Shortcomings and missed opportunities aside this is still a film worth checking out thanks to the great performances (especially from Mirren), plenty of dark humor and a slick, nostalgic vibe.