Classics reworked
FILM LINDA MARRIC
Peter Rabbit 2
CERT: U
★★★★✩
AS CINEMAS start to reopen amidst more uncertainty, the few film distributors that weathered the storm instead of jumping on the digital release bandwagon will be nervous to see how their titles are likely to perform. One of those titles finally seeing a theatrical release this week is Will Gluck’s long awaited sequel to his 2018 adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit.
With the success of her book about Peter (voiced by James Corden) and his friends, Bee (Rose Byrne), who is now married to Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson), is persuaded by unscrupulous publisher Nigel BasilJones (a hilarious turn by David Oyelowo) to sign a new book deal. Unhappy with the story’s new direction which paints him as the villain, Peter leaves his friends behind and falls in with some shady characters in the big city. Meanwhile, Bee and Thomas are at loggerheads over Nigel’s heavy-handed approach to modernising his wife’s story in order to sell more books.
Gluck and co-writer Patrick Burleigh present a charmingly offkilter film full of surreal gags and slapstick moments. With a fair bit of self-reflexive flair, one gets the sense that the duo have managed to capitalise on the criticism directed at their first film and responded accordingly. The frequent references to Peter’s “annoying” persona are often funny and charmingly self-deprecating, even when they’re slightly overdone. Furthermore, Corden, as irritating as some might have found him him earlier, delivers a rather charming turn full of humour and chaotic candour.
Overall, Peter Rabbit 2 is hugely entertaining and considerably less twee than its predecessor. While Byrne and Gleeson are very likeable, it is the addition of Oyelowo as the smarmy lothario that ties the whole thing together rather nicely. I loved every second of it.
The Woman in the Window
★★★✩✩
Netflix
Amy Adams heads a stellar cast in this flawed psychological thriller from Atonement director Joe Wright. Adapted by actor-turned-screenwriter Tracy Letts (Killer Joe) from A. J. Finn’s 2018 novel of the same name, The Woman In The Window also stars Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Adams is Anna, an agoraphobic child psychologist who lives alone in her New York townhouse unable to move on from an undisclosed tragedy.
When the Russells (Oldman and Moore), a seemingly happy couple move across the road with their timid teenage son (Fred Hechinger), Anna becomes consumed by the strange dynamic between them. Things start to spiral out of control when after witnessing a shocking act of violence from her window, and rather strangely, Anna seems unable to convince anyone of what she saw.
The Woman in the Window works better if one decides to look at it as a deliberately heavy-handed Hitchcockian pastiche. Wright presents a film which, despite lacking the subtlety of the productions it is clearly seeking to emulate, still manages to be immensely watchable mostly thanks to Adams’ peerless screen presence.
Granted, there isn’t really much in a way of plot here that we haven’t seen done before, but there is a certain B movie sensibility about the film which saves it from being a complete dud. Wright has given us an overly stylised production which too often relies on needless trickeries, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this very silly movie.
Overall, while not exactly original or completely coherent plotwise, The Woman in the Window still delivers some robust performances courtesy of Adams, Oldman and Moore.
Just don’t go in expecting anything earth-shatteringly original.
James Corden delivers a rather charming turn, full of humour and chaotic candour