The Queen

B+

This movie has gotten raves from critics, in particular for Helen Mirren's performance as Queen Elizabeth. She seems to be right on the money, though I don't really know the queen that well. In this movie you see her primarily during the week following the death of Princess Diana as the royal family stays away in the countryside and a huge outpouring of grief is taking place in London and at Buckingham Palace. Newly elected prime minister Tony Blair has a much better feeling for what the people are going through while the royal family comes off aloof. Blair feels like the Queen must act.

The movie plays out a lot like an episode The West Wing, which is a compliment since that was one of my favorite shows. You see a real-life event and then see the inner workings of the nation's leadership, private and professional, as they deal with it. There is good writing, good acting, funny dialog, and humanity on all sides. In the end, everything resolves itself nicely. In this case the tragedy of Diana's death doesn't overshadow the rest of the movie. Really the movie is about Queen Elizabeth and how Tony Blair's spin masters are dumbfounded by the royal family's lack of PR skills. The fact that you are seeing them behind the scenes with their families and support staff gives the movie a lot of intimacy that makes up for the fact that nothing much is happening. I think the movie misses getting an A because it is so understated, so I will give it a B+.

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