TO OLIVIA

The lives of British children’s authors seems to be catnip to filmmakers at the moment. Here, Hugh Bonneville plays Roald Dahl in a story that touches on his literary efforts but focuses on his marriage to actress Patricia Neal (Keeley Hawes) as they endure an unspeakable family tragedy. As they try to cope, both partners experience career breakthroughs. But the film doesn’t quite face what must have felt like bitter compensation from the universe, framing this instead as a triumph against the odds. The beats are overly familiar, but this at least offers charming child performances, Hawes is a good fit as Neal and the moments that do connect are undeniably moving.