Review of Restoration (1995) by Jennifer S — 19 Aug 2008

Better than I expected, but over all is pretty unfocused and disjointed. Robert Downey Jr. is charming as Merivel, and the supporting cast is surprisingly over-qualified for the tiny parts some of them play (Hugh Grant is in this for like five minutes, I think, lol).

Meg Ryan gives a nice turn as the mentally unstable but passionate woman Merival falls for, and Sam Neil is amusing as King Charles II. However, the plot doesn't really seem to go anywhere, and the second half does seem really disconnected from the first; so much time is spent in the first half on the relationship btwn Merival and the King's mistress that it's jarring when that whole situation is pretty much abandoned in the second half.