All hail Helen Mirren, she's brilliant.
However, this film belongs just as much to Michael Sheen's Tony Blair and Princess Diana herself.
The bulk of the film occurs just after the sudden and shocking death of Princess Diana and how the Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) refuses to truly acknowledge the event until after much insistence from the Prime Minister (Sheen). Instead, she tries to keep life as normal as possible, tending to her grandchildren and distracting them and herself by mourning the beauty of a stag on their vast Scottish estate.
But when she finally does make a statement, it is met with great success and despite their differences, she and Tony finally have a solid relationship and seem to be even working toward a friendship which is a great accomplishment considering where they started at the beginning of the film.
Now, while the film had a rather simple plot and some odd cuts intermixing authentic news footage in with the actors portraying their roles but it is done brilliantly, truly showing how and why the royal family acted the way they did and how and why the public reacted the way they did and how Tony as he insisted on being called, tried to tow the line between the two. And certainly the acting is impeccable, with Mirren saying so much by saying so little though Sheen is just as good and they are backed up by James Cromwell as Prince Philip and the late Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair. Alex Jennings gets his chance to portray Prince Charles and he does well, portraying Charles almost as a sympathetic character for a change. So, this is must watch and Mirren deserved all the awards she won for this performance. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Also note that Peter Morgan penned the screenplay. He also wrote most episodes of The Crown.
-Charles's children's faces are never shown.
-None of The Queen's other children are even mentioned though her sister is, twice.
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