Movie Review-----ALBERT NOBBS

Glenn Close is one of my five favorite Actresses of all time. I consider her to be one of the bravest in her choice of roles. I had the pleasure of seeing her play Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD on Broadway and it remains one of the most exhilarating nights in the Theatre that I have ever had. I can honestly say that I usually love most of her films. THE BIG CHILL, FATAL ATTRACTION, IMMEDIATE FAMILY, DANGEROUS LIAISONS, and JAGGED EDGE are movies that I can watch over and over again. In 1982, my parents and I went to New York for a weekend of theater. While there, my mother ventured Off-Broadway to see Glenn Close in a play about a female masquarading as a man in turn of the century Ireland. That play was called THE SINGULAR LIFE OF ALBERT NOBBS and I still have the Playbill. My mother was an early admirer of Glenn Close after seeing her in BARNUM on Broadway and then in the film THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP. After seeing the play, I remember my mother raving about Ms Close's performance but only thinking the play was so-so. And now 30 years later, I have the same reaction to the film. ALBERT NOBBS is very lovingly detailed in it's period and the set design and costume designs are gorgeous. The movie is filled with incredible British and Irish acto

rs of the highest quality including Pauline Collins, Brenda Fricker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson, and the wonderful Janet McTeer. Mia Wasikowska is quite affective, as is Aaron Johnson in a smaller but pivotal role. Everything is in place....except for a film that truly takes the time to tell the plight of two women forced to make incredibly difficult choices to live the life they long to live. The backstories of "Mr" Nobbs and the character played by Ms McTeer are glossed over so quickly that you suddenly realize that THAT is the film you want to be watching. It all feels a bit rushed. However, through it all there is Glenn Close. She is astonishing as the title character. Yes, she is 30 years too old to play the role, but I stopped thinking about that 2 minutes into the movie. I put this performance in the same calibre as Alex in FATAL ATTRACTION or Sarah in THE BIG CHILL. She is absolutely worth the price of admission. Much like THE IRON LADY, the film is not worthy of the Lead performance. Although I do think ALBERT NOBBS is a much better film than THE IRON LADY, it is still lacking in several areas. Having said that, I found myself very moved at the end of the film. As the credits rolled, I realized that I had fallen in love with Albert Nobbs, the character. I wish the movie had served him and Ms. Close better.