Review of The Dressmaker (2015) by Leon B — 20 Mar 2016

Review:

The first hour of this movie was really funny but then it seemed to go down a dark avenue of mysterious deaths in the little town of Dungatar. The storyline was truly unique and Kate Winslet (Tilly Dunnage) and July Davis (Molly) were great and it was good to see Hugo Weaving (Sergeant Farrat), parading himself in women's clothing again, as he did in the Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, but once the love story kicked in between Tilly and Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) the film seemed to slow down a little. The mixture of humour and intense drama, was great throughout the film and there is so much happening, which keeps the movie interesting. Its mainly about Tilly Dunnage, who is banished from her small town at a young age, after she is accused of killing a young boy, who is the town bully, so she is sent to boarding school, leaving her frail mother, Molly, behind. Tilly goes on to become a successful dressmaker in Paris but when she returns home to be with her sick mother, her troubled past is still in the villagers minds. Whilst building a relationship with her mother, who is suffering with selective amnesia, she starts to build a relationship with the people in town, by making them dresses for various occasions. She also builds a relationship with Teddy McSwiney, who she completely falls in love with but she still thinks that she is cursed and that bad thinks happen around her. After planning to run away with Teddy, her whole world apart, and she ends up losing everyone that she loves, including the trustee local police officer, Sergeant Farrat, who helped her prove that she really didn't kill the young boy when she was little. When she finally gets pushed to the edge, she takes matters into her own hands and then she hits the road again, with her sewing machine in hand. Its a truly inspiring story about a strong woman who goes out of her way to build a relationship with her mother but the whole curse side of the movie, went haywire after a while. I was quite shocked with the way the director changed the direction of the film at various points throughout the film, which made it entertaining and definitely worth a watch. Enjoyable!

Round-Up:

After starring in this biggest movie of all time, Kate Winslet, 40 has taken on very few projects which haven't really blown up at the box office but she has proved that she is worthy of her Oscar, which she received for the Reader in 2009. She was great in Holy Smoke, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Children, Revolutionary Road and Carnage and with Steve Jobs, Insurgent and Triple 9 yet to be released in the UK, she is slowly climbing back up the ranks to reach the stardom that she gained after starring in Titanic. Her performance in this movie was great and the chemistry between Kate and Judy Davis was brilliant, so it's good to see her back on the big screen after disappearing out of the spotlight for so long. Anyway, this movie was directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, 55, who brought you Proof in 1991 with a young looking Russell Crowe, How To Make An American Quilt in 1995 and A Thousand Acres in 1997, starring Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer. Although this movie was pushed back a year because of Kate Winslet's pregnancy, it was definitely worth the wait and the costumes that were used throughout the movie were pretty impressive. Its one of those movies that have "chick flick" written all over it but from a man's point of view, I found it funny and entertaining. .

Budget: $12million.

Worldwide Gross: $19million.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramatic movies starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Sarah Snook, Hugo Weaving, Judy Davis and Kerry Fox. 6/10.