Review of The Invisible Woman (2013) by David M — 09 Aug 2016

Ralph Fienes Coriolanus hinted at some gall behind the camera to mirror his gall in front of it, but this film squashes all hope of that. It is exactly the reason actors are loathed to direct. A weepy, treacly, overly-sentimental true story with no subtext that is a bore to watch.

Fiennes' Charles Dickens is only mildly interesting as he leaves his wife for another woman he takes as his mistress. Felicity Jones plays the mistress and bookends the film as the same mistress as an unhappily married older woman whose greatest memories are of DIckens.

Jones is once again a black hole of charisma with an inert character whose sole attribute is "proud." Fiennes should stick to good roles in other people's films.