Review of W.E. (2011) by Norm D — 07 Jul 2017

The commercial & critical rejection of this film is a bit mystifying because as an interior psychological fantasy & commentary cinematically told with considerable artistry it succeeds. It is not a feature length music video nor is it all style & no story. Perhaps Madonna should have written & directed under the name M. Louise or Veronica Cicconi to minimize prejudice against her because of other incarnations & inventions. It surely IS a chick flick that's really well done by chick headliners & the director. The only lapse into Madonna'land was the party scene that used rock music to do the Charleston, totally out of place & time - and jarring.

The original interest in this film was to see Andrea Riseborough again after "Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk ..." where she was mesmerizing - tho' not nearly as much so here. Who WAS captivating was Abbie Cornish in a restrained buttoned-down but fetching performance. She has appeared nude in many of her films; but she may be her sexiest right here in this high-neck, long-sleeved performance. It is her psychological interior in delicious contrast to her exterior that drives the story.

Men don't come-off very well right from the get-go in an exceptionally nasty physical abuse horror. The Ukrainian guard is the only guy who carries-off masculinity well, him and the Arab owner of Wallis's letters. He's OK, too. And Madge admits to a feminine conundrum in the Bonus feature - that women want security but often don't get their romance tank filled, and vice versa. And even a stunning 20th century romantic saga with lots of cash doesn't really turn-out very well.

So, it seems this is a worthy chick-flick that got torpedoed for reasons other than this is a bad film. It is, in fact, very good for what it is - and crafted together just fine. An extra half-star for Abbie.