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The Critic (2023 film)

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The Critic
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAnand Tucker
Screenplay byPatrick Marber
Based onCurtain Call
by Anthony Quinn
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDavid Higgs
Edited byBeverley Mills
Music byCraig Armstrong
Production
companies
  • BKStudios
  • Fearless Minds
  • Seven Stories
Distributed byLionsgate
Release dates
  • 7 September 2023 (2023-09-07) (TIFF)
  • 13 September 2024 (2024-09-13) (United Kingdom)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2.7 million[2][3]

The Critic is a 2023 British period thriller film directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber, based on the 2015 novel Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn. The film stars Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, and Lesley Manville.

The Critic premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate on 13 September 2024.[4][5][6][7]

Plot

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In London in 1934, Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is the film critic for The Daily Chronicle, a tabloid newspaper now owned and run by Viscount David Brooke (Mark Strong) after the death of his father. Erskine delights in writing vitriolic reviews of plays that he believes fall short of his high standards, despite requests from Brooke to tone it down.

After Erskine and his secretary and lover Tom Turner (Alfred Enoch) are arrested for homosexuality, Brooke dismisses him, along with other older employees. Erskine plots his revenge by persuading Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), a young actress, to enter a Faustian plot whereby she will seduce Brooke, who is already in love with her, in return for future glowing reviews. Erskine then blackmails Brooke into giving him his job back. When Brooke discovers that Land is also the lover of Stephen Wyley, his son-in-law (Ben Barnes), Brooke kills himself.

Driven by guilt for her part in this plot, a drunk Land visits Erskine who, concerned that she will reveal the truth, drowns her in a bath. Erskine then persuades Turner to help dispose of the body and when discovered she is presumed to have committed suicide.

Finally Turner visits The Chronicle’s new owner, Brooke’s daughter, and confesses. Erskine is arrested and gaoled.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

It was announced in November 2020 that Colin Firth, Gemma Arterton, Simon Russell Beale and Paapa Essiedu were set to star in the film, at the time titled Curtain Call like the source novel, with Anand Tucker directing and Patrick Marber writing the screenplay.[9] By February 2021, filming was expected to begin later that year.[10]

In June 2022, the film was retitled The Critic, with Firth, Beale and Essiedu no longer involved. Ian McKellen, Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Romola Garai, Ben Barnes and Alfred Enoch were announced to be joining Arterton, and production began in London.[11] In July 2024 it was announced that the film would be released in UK cinemas on September 13, 2024.[12]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 49% of 87 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Everyone's a critic, and Ian McKellen is better than most at playing one, but even his character would give this rote melodrama a so-so review."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[14]

Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars and wrote "a devious Ian McKellen anchors uneven thriller".[15]

References

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  1. ^ "The Critic (15)". BBFC. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  2. ^ "The Critic (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  3. ^ "The Critic – Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  4. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (24 July 2023). "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders Dumb Money, The Holdovers, Rustin; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ Ntim, Zac (4 June 2024). "Lionsgate UK Acquires Ian McKellen Thriller 'The Critic'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Greenwich Entertainment Acquires Period Thriller 'The Critic' Starring Ian McKellen". 18 July 2024.
  7. ^ "THE CRITIC, Starring Ian McKellan, Lands North American Release Date".
  8. ^ "The Critic (2023) - IMDb". IMDb.
  9. ^ Kroll, Justin (13 November 2020). "Colin Firth And Gemma Arterton To Star in Curtain Call". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  10. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (22 February 2021). "Curtain Call: Colin Firth-Gemma Arterton Drama Pre-Sells To Germany, Italy, Lat Am, More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. ^ Grobar, Matt (27 June 2022). "Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Ben Barnes & More To Star In Period Thriller The Critic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Greenwich Entertainment Acquires Period Thriller 'The Critic' Starring Ian McKellen". 18 July 2024.
  13. ^ "The Critic". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  14. ^ "The Critic". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  15. ^ "The Critic Guardian review".
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