Review of The Reader (2008) by Doctor S — 11 Oct 2010

2/3 of the way through, I made a mental note to avoid any more films that feature a self-pitying Ralph FIennes recalling a tragic love from his past, and I'll be damned if Anthony Minghella's name wasn't one of the first credits to pop up. I could smell his turgid idea of romance a mile away.

The acting is solid from David Kross as Michael Berg and Kate Winslet as Hanna, although not particularly worthy of Oscar by my measure. I can only assume Nudie Kate's competitors kept their clothes on most of the time. You hadn't noticed the way that works? She is mostly irritable and distant, not showing a whole lot of range. I grant that does make her a convincing German (hehe!) Both young & old versions of Michael Berg are similarly sullen.

So 35-year-old lonely matron has summer fling with 15-year-old law student, which is fine & good if you're into cradle robbing. But THIS relationship (for lack of a better word since sex & reading are the only elements involved) is one we're supposed to care about over 30 years? Sorry, I need more connection than that to truly get involved.

**********SPOILER ALERT***********.

I was getting pretty twitchy in my chair after these indifferent characters intermingled for 53 minutes. The film takes an interesting leap forward with the revelation that she served as a guard for the SS and is the most interesting aspect of the film. Much more could have been explored regarding morality - how close an association with evil can you have before you are deemed evil yourself? But those issues are too deep for this tidepool romance.

The fact that Hanna could save herself from years of imprisonment by admitting that she is illiterate and doesn't is ludicrous. LUDICROUS!!! Put yourself - or ANYONE - in that position, what would they do? Blame Frau Schneiderhund your 1st-grade teacher, that's what. BTW, this scene was supposed to be a big reveal? Really? I knew Hanna for two minutes and figured out she was illiterate, yet Berg the law student spent hours every day in her company for 3 months and remained clueless. [Using Gob voice] COME ON! Then she spends over 20 years in prison but waits until the day of her release to commit suicide. I have no words for such a contrived attempt to draw tears from an audience. No wait, those'll do.

I was touched by Berg sending the first edition of Books On Tape to Hanna, even if he was 12 years too late in following through. There are a couple other poetic moments (reading aloud Tintin just as I used to do was a particular favorite) but a movie needs to try a lot harder at the interpersonal side than this to convince me of a romance worth following.