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Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland co-wrote and co-directed this exceedingly thin dramatization of the last two years of Errol Flynn's life, from 1957 to 1959. Flynn, notorious ladies' man and faded matinée idol, picks up a pretty chorus girl on the movie lot under the pretense that she audition for him privately--unaware that she is just 15. The girl's mother is skeptical of their ensuing relationship, but eventually consents under the promise that Flynn use his connections to help further her daughter's show business career. As the underage Beverly Aadland, baby-faced Dakota Fanning doesn't have the knowing sexuality needed for the role, but Kevin Kline as Flynn is marvelous. Though essentially too old to play Flynn, who died at the age of 50, Kline nevertheless jumps into the part with verve; he has Flynn's gentlemanly cadence down right and he's in terrific shape. Susan Sarandon as Beverly's mother (and the twosome's 'chaperone' in public) is also fine, though she doesn't have much to work with. At 90 minutes, the film feels lengthy, with a colorless epilogue after Flynn has died and a final coda which isn't as heart-rending as the filmmakers probably intended. ** from ****
score 5/10
moonspinner55 28 June 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3741213/ |
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1-12-2019 07:51:57