Review of The Queen (2006) by Markb. — 20 Feb 2007

If you had told me two years ago that the tragic death of Princess Diana, of all things, would provide the fulcrum for one of the smartest, sharpest, wittiest and most enjoyable comedies of manners in ages, my immediate and understandable response would've been to suggest that you either work less, rest more.

..or get started on that 12-step program immediately! But then I seriously underestimated Peter Morgan and Stephen Frears. They've crafted a superbly perceptive, immensely wise two-character study that, even if you have no interest whatsoever in any of the British royals, and snapped the radio dial over to the nearest alternative-rock station anytime that Elton John song came on, still has plenty to engage you on many levels.

Put it this way: if you've ever, for reasons of workplace politics, expediency or just being in the minority to put through a policy that you personally disliked or disapproved of, then Queen Elizabeth's story is your story, too.

Her preference here is to offer no official statement of grief or mourning after that car accident takes the life of "The People's Princess", but nationwide (and worldwide) public and media pressure overwhelmingly indicates the wisdom of compromise, and it's up to newly minted Prime Minister Tony Blair to try to resolve things.

(When Elizabeth reminds Blair of all the Prime Ministers who've served under her, including that legendary tough old bird Winston Churchill, she might as well be telling him, "I eat Prime Ministers for breakfast," but as we'll soon see, the new guy is too smart and tenacious to be anybody's blue plate special.

) The Academy Award ceremonies are shaping up to be more like Helen Mirren's coronation, and that's fine: the beauty of her portrayal is that while we understand and connect with her character's stubbornness on a human level, Mirren keeps Elizabeth's precise reasoning for not wanting to make too big a fuss over Princess Di (whether because she believes that to do so would demean the dignity of her office, sort of like the White House acknowledging Anna Nicole Smith, or because of her resentment of Diana having thrown everything back in her face, or because Elizabeth just plain doesn't like her) deeply locked within her heart; Mirren understands that no human being can COMPLETELY understand why another chooses to act a certain way.

Unfortunately, Oscar didn't see fit to honor Michael Sheen with an equally richly deserved Best Supporting Actor nomination as Blair--a real missed opportunity because his warm, subtle and thoughtful portrayal is the perfect counterpart to Mirren.

Blair's call for flexibility may have won the day, but in one of 2006's most stunning and unforgettable movie moments, Elizabeth prophetically warns him of the capriciousness of public approval, and that it can be yanked away from him suddenly and without warning at any time.

The audible gasp that many members of my audience simultaneously uttered indicates that Morgan and Frears are as sharply attuned to the sad political realities of today as they are to those of 1997.