Monday, March 4, 2013

At the Movies: Liz and Dick

I have to admit that I think very little of Lindsay Lohan but I simply couldn't resist a movie about Taylor and Burton so I just had to see Liz and Dick. The movie follows the relationship of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton from their days on the movie Cleopatra and their mutual hate for each other (which inexplicably turns to love) the scandal of their passionate and much publicized affair and their turbulent relationship, through to the day of Richards death and the letter he wrote to Elizabeth.
The movie is narrated by the actors themselves in character from directors chairs as if being interviewed for a magazine. These scenes woven throughout the film to provide background info and emotional weight are actually when Lohan does her best and most candid acting. Throughout the rest of the film and in the more dramatic scenes she fails to connect to the audience.
I had hoped that I would be pleasantly surprised by Lindsay Lohan's performance in this film as I was with Michelle Williams in My Weekend with Marilyn but unfortunately that was not the case. Lohan seemed to lack the depth required to play Taylor and this was made even more evident by the outstanding performance of her co-star Grant Bowler whose interpretation of Burton was spot on. His beautifully melodic booming voice was simply perfect and  his portrayal of Burton had real gravitas.
In defense of Miss Lohan though I could not deny the chemistry between the leads on screen. They seemed to replicate the chemistry of the stormy and passionate Taylor-Burton relationship perfectly.
I felt that Lindsay Lohan could not hold a candle to the beauty of a young Elizabeth Taylor but was a spit of her playing a more mature Taylor. This is no mean feat for an actress of Lohan's age to portray a character in her 50s.
Overall I felt the movie was a enjoyable piece of fluff but it could have been so much more. It is just a shame it didn't reach it potential. I so wanted this movie to be good!

The movie was originally shown on the Lifetime channel and will be out on DVD on May 14th 2013. You can watch the trailer right here:

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