Genres

Visitors Review

gus120970 2012-05-20 14:51:33

And your point is?

Frankly, this 'much anticipated' feature-length is all over the place,self-indulgent dialogue matched by equally indulgent performances bywell known actors, highly aware they are in a 'quality drama'production. People all over Islington and Fulham nodding sagely, andthe rest of us wondering what it's all meant to be about. DoesPoliakoff know, or care? Early on it seems to be a weak satire on the'era of spin' initiated by the New Labour government elected in 1997,which found its apotheosis in the risible Millennium Dome project,style without substance, and plastic style at that. Throw in the 'deathof Diana' as a modular dramatic device, again used to illustrate the'stage management' of our modern political and national life. But thereis a problem. If you want to do satire you have to make it bite,particularly in the characterisation of Gideon himself, the spinmeister. Bill Nighy, however, seems to wander throughout the productionon valium, spending most of him staring out of windows and ponderingthe meaning of a song sung by his daughter. The satirical element isentirely missing from the second half, which turns into another middleclass drama 'leitmotif' - the 'unconventional love story'. Realised interms of one of those cross-class-cultural divide fantasies beloved ofmiddle class playwrights. Toff Gideon dates a woman who works in an allnight supermarket out in West London . Gideon decides to host a PRevent at a nondescript Indian Restaurant. 'As if' on both counts. Whatis perhaps meant to be arresting and unpredictable is just patronisingand unrealistic.

missmarmite 2012-05-20 00:48:16

Very touching

This is definitely not a film for everyone. But I was eager to see itand happy to get it on DVD, as I live outside the UK and don't get theBBC. Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson and Robert Lindsay together in onefilm is must, no matter what the film might be about.This is a slow film, things happen almost in "real time", and thecharacters are very realistic. I work in a shop in a big train station,I get to see the most different people every day. People like Gideon orStella do exist, and why not make a film about characters like them?The most beautiful or rather endearing scene, enchanting maybe even,was when Stella and Gideon lie next to each other in Stella's bed andtalk about their lives and loved ones. A very quiet scene, andendlessly touching to watch.Someone else said here, people probably have to be quite creative tounderstand this film. This might be true. You have to let go ofconventional films a bit to be able to embrace this one. But if you'reopen enough to new impressions, then this is the right film for you. Orif you just want to see excellent performances by aforementionedactors.

2012-05-19 12:31:33

A mesmerizing experience . Thank you

This review is from: Gideon's Daughter (DVD) What a joy to see a compelling, totally intriguing story beautifully acted by a cast that does not appear to be acting: Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson,Emily Blunt,Robert Lindsey, Ronny Anacona, Tom Hardy & company. Bill NIghy is a treasure. Miranda Richardson, too. Never miss their movies. The screenplay and direction of Steven Poliokoff are so creatively conceived as to be mesmerizing. What a pleasure to see a writer/director who truly presents a fully developed movie. We love the metaphorical quality of the stroy, and appreciate the fact that it enhances, without getting in the way. Gideon's Daughter is a jewel that we first rented, and immediatly purchased,becasue we ant to see it again.

brendastern 2012-05-19 02:20:04

confusing but engrossing drama

I ordered Gideon's Daughter from Netflicks after watching the GoldenGlobes and seeing awards for both Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt. The movieis well worth watching for anyone who enjoys their work, as well asthat of Miranda Richardson. The plot is a little confusing, and what isa throw-away scene at the beginning of the film becomes something thatresonates throughout, so it's important to pay attention. Bill Nighy'spersonality is somewhat at odds with his character, who is supposed tobe the most important spinmeister in England. Although there aremoments when he lights up, he seems almost too laid back for the role,and it's also hard to believe he would have enough energy to bewomanizer as he is supposed to be in the film. But I found his sceneswith Emily Blunt to be a road map of the anger and frustration betweena father and a daughter. Emily Blunt, in particular, is a revelationand if you only know her from The Devil Wears Prada, this gives a muchbetter indication of what she is capable of doing. It has thathigh-gloss BBC combination of intellect, intrigue and pathos, and ifyou are looking for a way to spend an engrossing Sunday evening asidefrom the usual melodramas I recommend this.

2012-05-10 19:58:43

Gideon's Daugher is very entertaining

This review is from: Gideon's Daughter (DVD) Emily Blunt is excellent and so beautiful in this movie. Bill Nighy gives another outstanding performance and is perfect for his role.

rbrb 2012-05-10 14:13:15

Pretentious Rubbish: or how to try to fool some of the people all the time......

BBC Entertainment cable channel lauded the presentation of this showrecently so with some anticipation I viewed it. What a big mistake andwhat a waste of time. To borrow from just a few of the other reviewershere "pointless self indulgent" drivel. The story is all over the placeand the writer appears to be making it up as he goes along. Apart fromthe daughter the two main characters come across as selfishuninteresting individuals who look and portray themselves as old: veryold which in fact they are not.The story in brief:A father is obsessed with what he believes to be his "love" for hisdaughter, and meets a woman who has lost a child in a road accident andcan't get over it. The father and the woman have an exceedingly boringlove affair. Thats' it.Add all sorts of unnecessary pretentious and phony sub plots. Beyondbelief that this film won some awards. Proves can fool some of thepeople all of the time.Lucky to get:2/10.

annewee 2012-05-09 23:16:57

Wow!

Well. What can I really say? It was a marvellous peace of work! Inscenes where Stella broke down, I broke down too. Poliakoff is just agenius beyond words and the cast with Miranda Richardson and Bill Nighyis absolutely stunning. Every scene of the film is a thrill and theperformances of the cast is GREAT! The character I loved the most wasnaturally Stella. Stella is played bu Miranda Richardson and GOSH did Ibecome moved! At the end of the movie, it just stroke me how muchStella is like me. At least the wardrobe (;)). The eclectic style andthe fresh mind is exactly what moved me in a character. The cryingscene is played magnificently by Miranda and I expect her to win anaward for this movie. If she doesn't, I will make my own award and giveto her. Bill Nighy also did a fantastic job as Gideon himself. My mouthdropped open....And also the music moved me, and the song Gideon's daughter sings.Tp put it all shortly; FANTASTIC!!!

ennor 2012-05-09 17:27:01

Simply Brilliant!

I just love Poliakoff - apart from 'Perfect Strangers' which bored meimmensely. I found 'Shooting The Past' to be breathtaking, but'Gideon's Daughter' occupies a different space altogether. It's about alot of things - celebrity, grief - expressed and unexpressed -forgiveness and redemption. It's also about love and friendship, and aplace where the two overlap.I watched Bill Nighy closely throughout, and for me he never put a foot- or a hand, or a glance, or stare - wrong. Equally as exquisite wasMiranda Richardson as Stella, the divorced woman whose son has died,and whose ex-husband (played by David Westhead) cannot let go of theneed to 'right' a wrong.In a way, this film is about nothing at all, and yet it encompasses somuch that I'm finding it difficult to review. Don't expect tounderstand it all - I didn't, but that could be my short-coming. But Iloved it so much I want to see it again and again. I just hope otherslove it as much as did I.

zazzoo 2012-04-30 11:12:13

A beautiful story of nothing....

I have now seen 'Gideon's Daughter' twice and still don't quite knowhow the man does it, whilst in it's glow you think it the mostbeautiful and spellbinding story and one wishes that it would neverend. But once it does and you stand back, you realise it is actuallyabout nothing at all, weak on story and overly sentimental and abusingthe clichéd rules of scriptwriting (no telephone conversations, nonarration, no flashbacks etc) with aloof disregard. You suddenlyunderstand that a work of such quality does not have to followantiquated misguidance, but can exist outside the usual trends andsurvive purely on it's own merits, characters, dialogue and empathyreign! SEE IT!

jotix100 2012-04-30 00:23:15

Millennium approaching

The arrival of the year 2000 marked a series of celebration in theworld. England had big plans for the arrival of the millennium, so itwas only fitting the organization for the awaited event fell in one ofthe country's most regarded P.R. men, Gideon Warner. Gideon, in muchdemand, begins work into what was going to be a spectacular displayfrom a dome that was to be the center piece of the glittering night.Gideon Warner did not come from the rich classes. As a matter of fact,he was a self made man. He has had many women in his life. As we meethim, he is living with one woman that is into the ritzy life in whichGideon moves. At one point, she comments they have received twentyseven invitations to different affairs in which his appearance is amust. Natasha, his only daughter, resents his father infidelities toher mother while she was living. In fact, Gideon committed the ultimatesin of not being by her bedside while a younger Natasha has toexperience her demise because he was on the phone taking care of hispersonal business.When the parents of a dead boy appear at his door demanding anexplanation as to why he was killed, the target is one of Gideon'sclients, a politician he has been advising on his image. The grievingfather wants to make the man pay for what he perceives was the cause ofdeath, but Gideon takes him back to his office, thus preventing abigger confrontation. Stella, the mother of the boy, is not asaggressive. In fact, Stella is a free spirit who quickly transformsGideon from the style of life into a caring human being, bringing himcloser to Natasha in the process.A television film directed by Stephen Poliakoff, was shown on a cablechannel recently. It might have been distributed as a commercialfeature, but we are not certain it was the case. The action takes placein 1997 and the death of Princess Diana is prominently shown as part asthe action. The screenplay is by the director, who wanted perhaps topaint a broad canvas about that part of British society at the centerof the action, which could well be the same as in America or othercountries where the media is predominant in public affairs, and how itaffects the people behind it.Bill Nighy is Gideon Warner, walking as though in a fog throughout thefilm. Miranda Richardson appears as Stella, a much down to earth personcompletely the opposite from Gideon. Their romance seems a bit farfetched, at best. A blonde Emily Blunt plays Natasha, the young womanthat has grown up resenting her father and all what he stands for.Robert Lindsay serves as the narrator, in a role that does not makemuch sense, but he is an actor that is welcome in anything because ofhis winning personality.

Charles Cassady 2012-04-23 19:08:38

Well-acted, witty dad-daughter BBC drama.

fwatkins-2 2012-04-23 09:57:14

A brilliantly moving and utterly captivating story of the heartache of parenthood

The story is narrated by a writer (Robert Lindsey's character)dictating it to a secretary. It is a story of damaged people, sufferingintense pain in their personal lives while maintaining a facade of'normality'. Gideon himself is an immensely successful and respectedP.R. 'guru', feted by media moguls, celebrities and politicians alike.His daughter cannot forgive him for deserting her mother when sheneeded him most. Stella, who becomes Gideon's love interest, has losther only child in a tragic accident. The Gideon character as played byBill Nighy is calm and controlled in every situation with the answer toeveryone's problems at his fingertips - except of course his own. Hisrestraint and dignity make him truly enigmatic and beguilingthroughout. By opening their hearts to each other the main protagonistsfinally find happiness, or at least peace. The film really captures thepain and torment every parent suffers in one form or another throughtheir intense and overwhelming love for their children. Even thenarrator's three year old son pops up, dumped at his doorstep by hisex-wife, the woman we fleetingly see at the end of the hallway. He thenremarks 'has it come to this? She won't even speak to me any more' orwords to that effect. The acting is brilliant, the direction faultlessand the whole thing from start to finish totally captivating andmoving.

noralee 2012-04-22 02:46:38

Middle Aged Male Fantasy of Breakdown and Life Affirmation

"Gideon's Daughter" brings to a TV film a trend that is mostly obviousin literary fiction – the middle-aged man who thinks he is the centerof the universe and the whole world revolves around him, and faces somekind of break down if any of his women show a bit of independence.Written and directed by playwright Stephen Poliakoff, he mines similarterritory as Cheever, Updike, Ford, Amis, Roth, etc. thrust into thecenter of English celebrity and political culture. The theme is evenawkwardly made redundant by an odd structure of having anothermiddle-aged man tell the tale to another pretty young woman and amysterious kid.Here, Bill Nighy's media consultant only perceives such events asPrincess Diana's death or the upcoming millennium in terms of how itaffects him. In press interviews, Nighy has said that Poliakoffintentionally directed him to play the main character as "stripped" butone certainly doesn't see how this catatonic schmoozer even got to hisprofessional pinnacle. His past and current sexual adventures certainlyseem more male fantasy than anything based on his charisma of any kind.Tom Hardy, who was quite captivating as Robert Dudley, Earl ofLeicester in the recent Queen Elizabeth I mini-series, shows much moresuitable feistiness, as a cross between Jeremy Piven's agent in"Entourage" and Bradley Whitford's canny adviser in "The West Wing."Miranda Richardson has the stereotyped role we've seen many timesbefore of the quirky stranger (she dresses like an old hippie) fromanother class and lifestyle, but with a pained past with a child, whotempts him to play hooky and more. It is startlingly different for thisgenre that she is close to age appropriate.A creepy centerpiece, and repeating motif, is the consultant's daughter(Emily Blunt getting to show little of the passion she displayed in "MySummer of Love") singing a lovely ballad in tribute to philandererGeorges Simenon's suicidal daughter. The story is particularly weakenedby not seeing more of Blunt's life when she's not being the adoringdaughter.I really didn't get that a neglectful father who suddenly discovers hehas paternal feelings is then to be considered "obsessive" rather thanfinally normal, even as she's about to leave the nest. His growingrealization of his feelings is the best part of the film but a themethat all parents and grown children need to reconcile asadults-to-adults just drifts off.

2012-04-21 17:17:19

A Good Story, Mostly Down to Nighy and Richardson

I saw "Gideon's Daughter" largely because Emily Blunt (who I --along with probably 10-20 percent of my fellow men-- am smitten by) is in the film. And I'm glad I did because it's a good and affecting story. But while the film is called "Gideon's Daughter," the movie isn't so much about Blunt's character Natasha. Rather it's about Gideon (Bill Nighy) and Stella (played very well by Miranda Richardson). Gideon, an uber-public relations wonk, a man who seemingly has it all, is slowly dying inside over fears that he has permanently lost Natasha's love. Stella is a working class divorcee whose marriage fell apart after the tragic death of her son in a traffic accident. The two come into each other's orbit and fall in love while Gideon tries desperately to reach out to his daughter.I only have three criticisms of this film. One is that it did not give Emily Blunt very much to do. In most of her scenes she comes across as cold and aloof when she talks with her dad (which is appropriate but I think she could have been given more to work with). She only really comes alive near the end of the movie. Second, I didn't really like the narration of the movie. Combined with the score, it almost came across as though the film makers felt "Gideon's Daughter" needed to be depicted as something profound and almost mythological. Finally, while I felt Blunt did well in the limited role she had, she was not really plausible as a 17 or 18 year old (she was either 21 or 22) when the film was made, and it was a stretch to see her as the equivalent of a high school senior or college freshman (just a minor point but I think casting an actual teenager would have made more sense).What's interesting to me is that this is not the only time where Nighy and Blunt have worked together. She and he starred in the 2010 black comedy "Wild Target" in which she played a confidence woman and he an assassin and they were a couple instead of father and daughter (and despite the age gap, I thought they pulled it off). What is truly impressive about both actors is that both of them appear totally different and one would have to be looking to see they are the same people, which is testimony to their skill. Wild Target

SaraH 2012-04-20 19:26:44

Stars get the Golden Globe

The acting by Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy was superb and unsurpassed. This is a must-see film. Pity it wasn't released in the cinemas where it really belonged.

Eleanor Twiss 2012-04-20 07:07:22

Gideon's Daughter is a story of forgiveness and redemption.

Gideon's Daughter is a story of forgiveness and redemption. Gideon, aninveterate womanizer,leaves his young daughter, Natasha, at hermother's bedside while the mother lay dying. His phone calls to hiswomen keep him away for 30 minutes. The mother dies and Natasha has noone there to comfort her. A homeless man has wandered into the room andsits beside Natasha, witness to the neglect at a critical time in heryoung life. This scene is one of the keys to understanding the story.Years later, Gideon witnesses a protest regarding the lack of care bymotorists for children on bicycles. Gideon meets a bohemian woman namedStella who becomes his friend. Lest he is never able to forgivehimself, Stella convinces him to borrow her camera to attend and tape aperformance by Natasha as she prepares to graduate from high school.Natasha is now a beautiful and talented young woman. She performs asong regarding her father and his women.As Gideon develops a relationship with Stella, Gideon comes to learn ofStella's own lack of self-forgiveness over letting her young son go forhis first bike ride without her. He is the child who was killed by amotorist during the protest Gideon had witnessed. This scene is also akey to understanding the story.As their relationship progresses, together Gideon and Stella findforgiveness and redemption.Kauffman "The supreme act of courage is that of forgiving ourselves. That which I was not but could have been. That which I would have done but did not do. Can I find the fortitude to remember in truth,to understand, to submit, to forgive and to be free to move on in time?"

2012-04-16 05:12:11

A Five Star Feast

This review is from: Gideon's Daughter (DVD) "Gideon's Daughter" is a film written and directed by the brilliant Stephen Poliakoff. Poliakoff's movies focus on a slice of life at a particular moment in history; he tries to capture what is then happening in England and how it might affect the future. The second disk in this set explores his philosophy in depth and how it impacts his films.In this movie, Poliakoff captures the emptiness of celebrity culture, particularly at the time of Princess Diana's death, when it had reached unheard of heights. Bill Nighy, one of England's best actors, portrays a PR guru who is at the pinnacle of his career, and whose "guidance" just everyone wants. Ironically, Nighy's character is divorced from all those around him, grieving over the broken relationship with his hostile daughter. He is also immersed in a new relationship with Miranda Richardson. His unresponsiveness is interpreted by different people to meet their own expectations, so the farther he drifts from PR, the more they clamor for his help.This is an outstanding film, beautifully acted, superbly written that is totally absorbing. Highly recommended.

2012-04-16 04:33:43

Poliakoff did it again!

This review is from: Gideon's Daughter (DVD) If you've read the works of Poliakoff, you'll want to see the movies. Gideon's Daughter stars Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt. Their relationship is what makes the film and these two actors are two of the best. Both have gone on to greater heights. This is one film you must see. You won't be disappointed.

paul2001sw-1 2012-04-11 16:22:38

Beautiful but empty

There's always a lot to enjoy in any Stephen Polliakoff film: strikinguse of images and music, an interest in big questions, and thedirector's lack of fear of letting things run at a slow pace where thismakes the story, and atmosphere, more absorbing. But there's alsoalways a journey into a stylised world, and a tendency to set up afalse dichotomy between an overly-schematised, and fake, businessworld, and an overly romanticised (and arguably no less fake) realworld. Even when my sympathies lie with Polliakoff, I'm alwaysfrustrated by his failure to give our own side a sufficiently hardtime. 'Gideon's Daughter' is not his most interesting film, largelybecause its central characters (a jaded spin doctor and his almostsupernaturally beautiful, talented and serene daughter) arefundamentally quite dull. A moment towards the end of the filmillustrates the problem succinctly: we see the main charactersdisappearing from a beautiful Edinburgh street, a street that it thereal world in permanently busy with traffic and people but which hereis shown devoid of cars and pedestrians alike: and while a directorshould be forgiven occasional moments of dramatic licence, when theentire drama is framed through such a distorted lens, though bigquestions may be asked, they're not really answered. This is awonderfully crafted little film; but also a film that has very littlerelevance to the messiness of real lives.

KatieScarlettButler 2012-04-11 00:35:01

Fantastic if you understand it

I saw this and thought it would be excellent as I am a great fan ofMiranda Richardson, Bill Nighy and Stephen Poliakoff, and contrary tothe total slating some people have given it, I thought it was great!The only thing is, I reckon you have to be ready to look deeply intowhat is actually happening because I (being a drama/English Litstudent) thought it was brilliant, but my less creative friends thoughtit was dull. So you have to be kind of out there, looking deeper intothe relationships formed and how the dynamics work blah blah. Excellentperformances by Nighy and Richardson (goes without saying - the "videocamera" scene in the car is really natural!)and some beautifulcinematography. Gideon's Daughter is a complete contrast to the alsoexcellent The Lost Prince, another Poliakoff/Richardson formula whichwas probably more successful because it was on a "real" level.