Review of Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) by Jesse H — 25 Dec 2012

I have always had an intense interest in the history of the Presidents of the United States, including FDR. I am also a fan of Bill Murray. So naturally, I was intrigued by the idea of Bill Murray playing United States President Franklin Roosevelt.

Unfortunately, I was let down by Hyde Park of Hudson. The film begins with Daisy, played by Laura Linney (Man of the Year, Mystic River), and explains how she would come to be the President's mistress.

After taking have the movie to explain that uninteresting footnote, the film introduces its next subplot; the King and Queen of England are visiting America for the first time ever. So it's the President, his mistress, his mother, his wife, and the King of Queen England all in the same house on the same weekend.

If that doesn't sound like a recipe for every sitcom ever, I don't know what would. Undeniably, the film falls flat of its back, not due to the acting, which was decent, but due to the film's lack of focus.

This is a film without any focus whatsoever. Hyde Park on Hudson has many subplots, but of those individual subplots are developed enough to be the main focus of the film. While at some points it seems like the focus is meant to be on Daisy and her relationship with the President, at other points the film decides that it wants to instead focus on the King and Queen and their squabbles.

Neither of these two major subplots are particularly interested, well executed, or, to be frank, work. The script seems to afraid that if they develop one subplot too much, that the audience will forget the other subplots existence.

I also can't say that I'm too happy with how the film portrays one of America's greatest presidents. Hyde Park on Hudson refuses to acknowledge any of the good that President Roosevelt did for this nation, instead, they opt to portray him as a lazy, womanizing asshole who is unable to keep it in his pants (which in particular led to a scene that made me want to burn my eyes out).

Frankly, I think it would have been fairer to make a film that argued that Roosevelt was an anti-Semite because of his reluctance to enter World War II, because at least that argument would be based on actions (of lack thereof) that he took as the President, rather then actions that he took while off vacationing in New York with his mother.

Roosevelt does very little in this movie; he doesn't govern, he doesn't legislate, and if they didn't call him the President, then there would be know reason to believe that he was. Overall, I hated this film.

Hyde Park on Hudson lack any focus whatsoever, portrays one of America's greatest Presidents in the worst way possible, tells the least interesting stories of Roosevelt's presidency in the least interesting way humanly possible.

Richard Nelson should be nominated for a Razzie Award for his god-awful script that demonizes one of the greatest men in American history. I cannot recommend this film to anyone. The only good things I have to say about the films is that (A) Bill Murray does a pretty good job with what he's given (B) there were a few well done scenes and (C) I didn't walk out.

I give Hyde Park on Hudson two out of five stars.