Misbehaviour (B+ or 3/4 stars)
A divorced mom joins radical social activists in protesting the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant in 'Misbehaviour' (directed by Philippa Lowthorpe). Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley) is the aforementioned divorced mom and, she's hoping to gain admittance to University -- she wants a better future for her young daughter who she is raising with her boyfriend & her old school mother, Evelyn (Phyllis Logan, beloved Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey). When I call her mom old school, I mean: traditional housewife who sits in the background & lets the man of the family run everything. That puts her at odds with her daughter, who believes that events like beauty pageants are archaic & a step backwards for women's lib movement.
While awaiting for word from University, Sally meets riotous Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, always good) & her fellow activists; who view Sally as only partially-enlightened on the same women's issues. So naturally, they frown upon beauty pageants such as Miss World, which is run by Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, hilarious). Morley 'hopes' to land comedian Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear) to host the pageant, something that doesn't quite sit well with his wife, Dolores (Lesley Manville, so much fun), who is all-too-aware of her husband's wandering eye. With the likes of Miss USA, Miss Grenada, Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, excellent), the 2nd contestant from South Africa, named Miss Africa South, Pearl Janssen (Loreece Harrison), & odds-on-fave Miss Sweden, Maj Christel Johansson (Clara Rosager), Morley hopes that his show goes off without a hitch. Little does he know what Sally, Jo & the activists are planning during the telecast.
'Misbehaviour' tackles some serious - and timely, relevant - themes, but manages to be uplifting & entertaining at the same time; following the playbook of such British films as The Full Monty, Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham, Pride, & the like. The true story told here is simply a great one. It is well directed, cast & written - with just the right blend of breezy humor, dry wit, light banter, drama & poignant confrontations. I also must commend the look & feel of the film. Cristina Casali's production designs {'70's interiors, exteriors, props}, Jill Sweeney's hair/make-up {those wigs!} & Charlotte Walker's costumes {perfect to the period; casual wear, swimsuits, gowns, jewelry} transport you RIGHT back to the time & place -- they're incredible.
And the performances are stellar across the board. Keira Knightley headlines, but it really is an ensemble piece. Jessie Buckley is great in everything I've seen her in and, that is no different, here -- creating a bold, brash, crimson-haired leader of the activists. Her yin & yang with Knightley's character is fun to watch. Greg Kinnear gives a great Bob Hope impression {with a sloped nose & all}, & offers a side to the man that you may or may not expect. Lesley Manville is superb as his wife, Dolores; who is tickled by the women's movement because it rubs her husband the wrong way. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is wonderful as Miss Grenada's Jennifer Hosten; a late scene btwn. her & Knightley's character in a dressing room is expertly handled. Every major contestant in the pageant is given a great scene to chew on or an interesting little subplot. They are all cogs in this wheel & keep the film moving.
Perhaps there are a few too many cogs, though. As much as I enjoyed everyone & what I looked at & all that I learned {100 million people worldwide watched the activists disrupt the pageant in wild fashion!} ... it felt like a lot crammed into 106 fleet minutes. But I nitpick. Director Lowthorpe does manage to balance the storylines/characters along with the various thematic elements, such as: gender equality, pageant politics, and even South Africa's apartheid system. 'Misbehaviour' may not dig as deep as it could have {too many characters, perhaps}, but it is well-intentioned, uplifting, and makes its ambitious points both elegantly & warmly; particularly loved how they showed the real life players in the end. Big thumbs up for 'Misbehaviour'.
While awaiting for word from University, Sally meets riotous Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, always good) & her fellow activists; who view Sally as only partially-enlightened on the same women's issues. So naturally, they frown upon beauty pageants such as Miss World, which is run by Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, hilarious). Morley 'hopes' to land comedian Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear) to host the pageant, something that doesn't quite sit well with his wife, Dolores (Lesley Manville, so much fun), who is all-too-aware of her husband's wandering eye. With the likes of Miss USA, Miss Grenada, Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, excellent), the 2nd contestant from South Africa, named Miss Africa South, Pearl Janssen (Loreece Harrison), & odds-on-fave Miss Sweden, Maj Christel Johansson (Clara Rosager), Morley hopes that his show goes off without a hitch. Little does he know what Sally, Jo & the activists are planning during the telecast.
'Misbehaviour' tackles some serious - and timely, relevant - themes, but manages to be uplifting & entertaining at the same time; following the playbook of such British films as The Full Monty, Calendar Girls, Made in Dagenham, Pride, & the like. The true story told here is simply a great one. It is well directed, cast & written - with just the right blend of breezy humor, dry wit, light banter, drama & poignant confrontations. I also must commend the look & feel of the film. Cristina Casali's production designs {'70's interiors, exteriors, props}, Jill Sweeney's hair/make-up {those wigs!} & Charlotte Walker's costumes {perfect to the period; casual wear, swimsuits, gowns, jewelry} transport you RIGHT back to the time & place -- they're incredible.
And the performances are stellar across the board. Keira Knightley headlines, but it really is an ensemble piece. Jessie Buckley is great in everything I've seen her in and, that is no different, here -- creating a bold, brash, crimson-haired leader of the activists. Her yin & yang with Knightley's character is fun to watch. Greg Kinnear gives a great Bob Hope impression {with a sloped nose & all}, & offers a side to the man that you may or may not expect. Lesley Manville is superb as his wife, Dolores; who is tickled by the women's movement because it rubs her husband the wrong way. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is wonderful as Miss Grenada's Jennifer Hosten; a late scene btwn. her & Knightley's character in a dressing room is expertly handled. Every major contestant in the pageant is given a great scene to chew on or an interesting little subplot. They are all cogs in this wheel & keep the film moving.
Perhaps there are a few too many cogs, though. As much as I enjoyed everyone & what I looked at & all that I learned {100 million people worldwide watched the activists disrupt the pageant in wild fashion!} ... it felt like a lot crammed into 106 fleet minutes. But I nitpick. Director Lowthorpe does manage to balance the storylines/characters along with the various thematic elements, such as: gender equality, pageant politics, and even South Africa's apartheid system. 'Misbehaviour' may not dig as deep as it could have {too many characters, perhaps}, but it is well-intentioned, uplifting, and makes its ambitious points both elegantly & warmly; particularly loved how they showed the real life players in the end. Big thumbs up for 'Misbehaviour'.