Love Bunny
by Flick Chick Vique
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Miss Potter draws up 4 Red Vines for being a beautiful love story |
I confess I hold no sentimental memories of Peter Rabbit or his furry friends. I’m sure I must have been exposed to them but I don’t remember. In fact, my first memories of books are the Nancy Drew series and by third grade I literally slept with my Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling horror anthologies for kids! But the charm of the drawings and the stories are not lost on this adult. Now the life and times of Peter’s creator, Beatrix Potter, have been brought to life in the equally charming film, Miss Potter.
Renee Zellweger, having proved her talent for mimicking a ‘spot on’ British accent (The Bridget Jones Diaries), plays the beloved authoress in this delightful, oh so sweet biography!
Set in Victorian England, Beatrix was the only daughter in an upwardly mobile family. We see that the magical world of Peter Rabbit was created when Beatrix was only a girl. She amused herself and her family with many watercolors of her pet rabbit, mice and any other creatures that came her way. When her family started vacationing in the beautiful English countryside known as The Lake District, Beatrix’ fertile imagination ran wild.
It’s hard to believe that a proper, sheltered woman with a talent for drawing delicate animals and spinning too cute tales was in fact a raging feminist but indeed Beatrix Potter was just that. How else could you explain her outrageous behavior of seeking a publisher for her work? Then when she does get a publisher, has the audacity to make demands concerning the printing and pricing of her book?! It was bad enough that she had reached the ripe old age of 32 and was still unmarried, with no prospects on the horizon but now she was on the verge of becoming a self-sufficient businesswoman!
Along the way to prosperity, kismet occurs: Beatrix falls in love! Playing her publisher turned fiancé is Ewan McGregor as Norman Warne. It’s a love story that will make your heart smile and break, almost as much as it does hers. Ewan is re-teamed with his co-star from 2003’s Down With Love with wonderful results. It’s not lost on Renee what chemistry the two have, as she is the one who got Ewan on board with the project.
Playing Ewan’s sister and Beatrix’ much needed confidante is Emily Watson (Gosford Park). She is perfect as Norman’s also unmarried, feminist bent sis. But playing Beatrix’ chaperon is Matyelok Gibbs (Copying Beethoven, Babel) as Miss Wiggins. The silent senior never says a word, yet she steals focus every time she’s in frame! No small feat when most of your scenes are as the third wheel to pretty superstars like McGregor and Zellweger!
The movie is beautifully shot, with magical touches sprinkled throughout. I couldn’t help but think of Babe, not just because of the beautiful English countryside but also because of the warmth, the glow that jumps off the screen and envelopes you in love. A lot of people loved this project and it shows. The fact that its director, Chris Noonan, also wrote and directed Babe is a big factor to be sure but a lot of credit goes to writer Richard Maltby, Jr. It was his fascination with the creator of those wonderful books that lead to a 16-year obsession to bring her story to life.
Miss Potter is not your typical movie. And while there is absolutely nothing in the movie that is not thoroughly wholesome, it is not a children’s movie. I fear a child would be bored to tears! No, Miss Potter is a gently paced tale of love, loss, ambition and courage. Today’s action hungry audiences won’t have the patience for such mild fare but even though I too love scarfing down a burger, what a treat it is to linger over a full course feast. Especially one that nourishes the heart and soul. Dig in and don’t be ashamed to go back for seconds!
Did you see it?
Tell us what you thought of it!
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