This potentially good film was blighted for me by two things. Firstly, Renee Zellweger's interpretation of Beatrix Potter as a simpering, mischievous and capricious person. Clearly the real Beatrix Potter was a spirited and determined person who had much to overcome in terms of parental opposition and societal expectations, but I would have found the character far more credible had she been played as a more restrained woman with a steely inner resolve, rather than this overly obvious and confrontational creature. Secondly, the unnecessary and intermittent use of animation. The subject matter shows that this is not a children's film and animation serves only to deter viewers from taking the narrative as seriously as it deserves. The section dealing with Beatrix Potter's relationship with her publisher is actually nevertheless quite moving, so why could the makers not trust their material and let the story speak for itself? Likewise, the unsuitable suitors are grossly exaggerated.
Review of Miss Potter
