Review of Notes on a Scandal (2006) by Matthew R — 04 Jul 2010

Certainly nothing wrong with Cate Blanchett's performance here, but Judi Dench absolutely owns this movie. Maybe part of it is that she's given more interesting stuff to work with, but I don't know. The two women in this film have serious problems and do some messed-up ish, but I found myself responding entirely differently to them. I felt nothing for Blanchett's character, except that she got off easy. On the other hand, I must admit, I not only sympathized with Dench's character, I actually found myself rooting for her. It was a joy to watch her hatch her delusional schemes, even knowing full well that they would ultimately fail.

Not sure if I should attribute my reaction to Dench's superlative performance or to how sick I just happen to be. Probably some of both, but I'll go ahead and give the credit all to Dench. :).