With Emma Tompson in the lead, there is almost no chance of the film derailing. However, she rarely gets to work with more than semi-profound dialogues, which is a shame when you compare these scenes with those that truly impact you. Stanley Tucci seems a little out of place as the overly rational husband. Meanwhile, Fionn Whitehead also does a good job, but let's wait a few years before we call him a "great actor".
The plot doesn't have half as much to tell as it would like us to believe. Whenever it threatens to become too heavy - or dull - it adds something new to the mix, but none of these subplots compounds the main storyline. The courthouse scenes are blandly filmed, but the arguments are forceful.
Yet, it's not so much the plot that gets in the way of the film excelling, but its overall tone that is momentarily educative - and mostly melodramatic. Add to this the bland score and the decent filmmaking and you get my rating for The Children Act (the film). Enjoyable, but not half as intelligent as it appears.
The plot doesn't have half as much to tell as it would like us to believe. Whenever it threatens to become too heavy - or dull - it adds something new to the mix, but none of these subplots compounds the main storyline. The courthouse scenes are blandly filmed, but the arguments are forceful.
Yet, it's not so much the plot that gets in the way of the film excelling, but its overall tone that is momentarily educative - and mostly melodramatic. Add to this the bland score and the decent filmmaking and you get my rating for The Children Act (the film). Enjoyable, but not half as intelligent as it appears.