Are critics being fair?
Or is this another 'Wild Target' situation?
shareMaybe some are a bit harsh, but I saw the film because of Firth and Blunt and it was disappointing. I also find that I HATE Firth's american accent(I hated it in Main Street also). His normal voice is just so delicious. Blunt's American accent was good. I think they were both pleasant enough but to me they didn't really have great chemistry and Firth is almost too handsome and charismatic for a role like this. Kevin Spacey to me would have been a better choice. And that's probably because the script does little with the role that having someone plainer looking who can play the everyday sort of loser(Spacey was great in American Beauty) as well as being able to morph into something bigger just by changing his look would have worked better.
But the real issue is the script and a film that wants to be some sort of deep character study but isn't. *SPOILER SO DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN"T SEEN IT. The idea this character would chuck his old life and walk away from his son(whether they get along or not) to me is unsympathetic. The basis of this faked death just never resonated with me making me care less about Arthur Newman.s journey for fulfillment.
I think the fact that this film has a limited US release and was pushed into a time when movie attendance is generally at a lull(post Oscar, pre summer season) indicates that the filmmakers, distributors, etc.. were't that convinced this movie would be that successful or perhaps as successful as they hoped.
spoilers:
I don't think the point of the movie is to portray the Colin Firth character as sympathetic because the impression you are left with is that he is running away from things and you see him realize his mistake and then go back.
I agree that Firth's "come and go" American accent was not good. Overall, the movie was likeable for me. Firth looked the part of an actual golfer, and had a great swing in that one scene.
The main reason I watched this was because it was filmed in North Carolina, and I recognized some major parts of downtown Raleigh, the motel on I-85 near Graham, various stretches of highway, etc.
Not a great movie, but not terrible either.