Gosford Park

A

I was expecting to be bored stiff by this, but had heard so much about it last year that I wanted to see it. It certainly wasn't an action thriller, but it kept my interest well enough and, unlike so many Altman movies, it had a real plot and even an ending. Though with a cast this size it's hard to get too much character development, the characters were good. It centers around a whodunnit though this is more of a character piece than that.

There is a good scene in which the snobs are too snobbish to even enjoy the talent of a Hollywood actor in their midst. When he plays piano and sings he becomes, to them, just another servant, but the staff has the sense to watch, listen, and be entertained. There is some comic relief with a bumbling head detective whose gumshoe underling is the one that is actually doing all the real work.

I don't know if this should have been the best movie of last year, but considering the multitude of things it does right, it would be hard to argue against that and I can see why it topped so many lists. I certainly thought it was better than A Beautiful Mind.

I'll give it a begrudging A for effort even though this isn't one that will knock your socks off or even one I can see watching over and over again.

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