"Downton Abbey" is a Silly, Entertaining Study of Good Costume Design
By: Keaton Marcus
Fans of the long-running "Downton Abbey" show have finally found gold on the silver screen with this year's rightfully enjoyable TV adaptation. This 122-minute soap-opera of a film is not just downright fun, the performances, and the costume design also fit its anticipation. The run-time, which was recently mentioned, never feels like a drag-on, and to be honest, "Downton Abbey" is a nice, despite short of excellent time at the movies, especially on a rainy day. Of course, the plot is simple, and it can get cheesy infrequently, but the pure amusement value of the picture delightfully excels past its simplicity. The real enigma is: whether you are up to the task to listen to soapy family drama for a little more than two hours, yet once you get easily intrigued with the vast amount of characters, the time goes by like a snap. Die-hard fans, elderly couples, even the children, movie-goers of nearly all-ages will appreciate the event adequately enough.
Taking place after the events of the final season in the year 1927, the Abbey receives news that King George V and Queen Mary of England will be lunching, dining and spending the night at the estate. This has the Crawley family most literally out of their minds. However, their excitement quiets when their majesties arrive, this is because the snobbish butlers, servants, and chef (a hilarious Phillipe Spall) alike have seemingly taken over Downton. The faithful manservants and such, however, are not letting their respective jobs be taken and plan to sack the opposing. Don't worry, between the lines, the corny but ever-so amusing sudsy drama remains. This is superbly presented by the hilarious Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, who is having a dispute over Maud Bagshaw's (Imelda Staunton) maid Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton). So what if the entire film relies on back-and-forth banter between Violet and Maud, or the luscious set-pieces, it's truly worth a watch.
Oh, but that's just the first layer of the onion. Various actors have a ball with the film, and it shows. The Violet and Maud constant quarrel, the battle of the manservants, and Hugh Bonneville's welcome supporting performance, its all just for entertainment. The thing is, both on screen and in the cinema's seats, both sets of folks will have fun. Surprisingly, and supposedly similar to the show, you will be in constant laughter at these undeniably pleasurable arguments. The whole affair may seem like a slog for audiences past even middle-age, but maybe after the first 20 minutes or so, the public is too intrigued in the family tree to wonder whether it's worth the price of admission. To be fair, it is.
Director Michael Engler knows that the general purpose for the release of the movie is for the enjoyment for fans and some tag along as well. Both Engler and screenwriter Julian Fellowes take advantage of the idea sufficiently enough for a more-than-satisfying movie experience. The screenplay is strong enough to take on the shortcomings of the storytelling, and the movie itself is a solid, rock-hard art. Whether you will be in awe from the beauty of the fictional estate, the high-end ball gowns, and the returns from the original cast--"Downton Abbey" is a perfectly well-rounded film that features a splendid return of the civilized.
The final opinion is: While the plotting is expectantly bland, "Downton Abbey" highlights a couple of notable performances, entertainment value and deliciously beautiful costume design...$PLURGE IT