This film tries be multiple things but it doesn’t achieve any of them. When it comes to finding things funny or sad, I can be accused of being quite an easy audience. There are a number of scenes in this that are supposed to be very funny and very sad, but they just aren’t. At points you can almost hear the filmmakers saying “isn’t this all very whimsical?”, and the answer is no.
I’m not really sure what I expected, but the trailers looked reasonably interesting. Within about five minutes it was quite clear that it’s potential had been exhausted already. Benedict Cumberbatch is doing his usual quirky genius bit while everyone around him is either in shock or awe. It’s another instance where you can almost hear the filmmakers saying “isn’t this outrageous?”, and again the answer is no. What’s supposed to be a charming character just becomes really irritating because of it.
The acting is another thing that just annoys me. No one seems to be a part of any of the scenes they’re in, and everyone comes across as very aware that they’re acting. It’s so obvious that I’m sure it was an artistic choice by the director, but it was a bad one. All it achieved was the feel of an amateur production for what clearly had a lot more than the resources available to one.
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