Review of The Reader (2008) by Forrest P — 03 Sep 2010

Kate Winslet does not fail to impress in The Reader. This is not a picture to be underestimated in its ability to give heart-felt performances and tell a solid story, in spite of the old WWII gimmick that it more or less unintentionally drags onto the screen.

The premise itself is not overly inviting. Hearing about the story of a young man who reads to an older woman before having sex with her sounds like it ought not to bring a decent level of entertainment to the table. Surprisingly enough, it does in spite of the bountiful sex scenes.

I would not hesitate to say that that was the biggest problem with the picture. I often feel sex scenes get wearisome very quickly and I always feel like the filmmakers are trying to entice me into the movie with the sexuality. Do not misunderstand me; Kate Winslet is a very beautiful woman. I just like to see more acting than fornicating in a picture. Fortunately, The Reader does offer very good acting. Kate Winslet does manage to play a role that eventually spans across decades quite well, something I would not have thought she had the capability to do, in spite of her somewhat impressive resume.

I did like the acting a lot. I appreciated the depths of the characters, and I found the story completely captivating. I will say that the trial scenes toward the latter half of the movie were a little similar in feel to the ones in Judgment At Nuremberg, which was an incredible movie. But, again, what I liked about them was the performance given by Winslet.

I also heartily enjoyed Ralph Fiennes?s role in the film, though limited. I have always trusted him to be an actor who can bring out the complexities in any role given to them, and The Reader was no different. I also want to take a moment to praise the young man who has the affair with Winslet during the film. He is very talented for such a young actor.

Some viewers may find The Reader to be a bit too sentimental at times, but it never goes over the edge, which was very important for my overall response to the film.

8/10.