film review: hyde park on hudson
Historical movies can be some of the best storytelling on offer. Recent films such as The King’s Speech and Lincoln have shown the amazing results that can come from the dramatisation of real events. However, sometimes a movie which promises fresh insight into important historical figures can simply provide an uninteresting journey down memory lane. Unfortunately, Hyde Park on Hudson falls more into the latter category.
The film is set in the United States at the tail end of the Great Depression, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was the country’s President. FDR (played by Bill Murray) forms an intimate relationship with his distant cousin Daisy (Laura Linney) while staying at his mother’s house ( known as Hyde Park on Hudson). The film allows Daisy to tell her story, while also taking a look at some significant political events taking place at the time.
Daisy recounts a visit from King and Queen of England (played by Samuel West and Olivia Colman respectively). With a second European war becoming inevitable, the stakes of this visit are high and Daisy is an outsider looking in on these important events. Meanwhile, the relationships in FDR’s personal life are fraught and the naïve Daisy finds out that this great man is perhaps not who she thought him to be.
The opening of the film, in which Daisy introduces the audience to President Roosevelt’s world in Hyde Park on Hudson, is decidedly dull. The slow narration given by Daisy makes the early minutes drag on, and the portrayal of the developing intimacy between Daisy and FDR is neither exciting nor particularly convincing. Once the King and Queen arrive, and Eleanor Roosevelt (Olivia Williams) has more time on screen, there is something worth watching.
The King and Queen are undoubtedly the highlight of this film; their humour and interaction liven up an otherwise plodding dialogue. The insecurities of King George and Queen Elizabeth, and the tension that develops between them as a result, is an interesting subplot, which actually outshines the story arc focusing on FDR and the women around him.
The film does not delve too deep into the realities of the Depression era or the international chaos which is about to ensue. Instead, this historical context is more of a backdrop for Daisy’s reminiscing, which lacks any real punch to keep the movie from stagnating. It is not that Laura Linney’s acting is poor, as she portrays her timid character well. The characters and their struggles, for the most part, simply fail to be interesting. All in all, Hyde Park on Hudson is a fairly disappointing look into the life and personality of Franklin Roosevelt at a crucial time in world history.
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