Woman in Gold

Based on true events, Woman in Gold follows Jewish refugee Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren) as she enlists an America lawyer (Ryan Reynolds’ Randy Schoenberg) to help her recover a valuable painting stolen from her family during the Second World War. It’s a sound, seemingly foolproof scenario that’s employed to consistently underwhelming effect by filmmaker Simon Curtis, as the movie’s present-day sequences suffer from a dramatically-inert quality that grows more and more problematic as time progresses – with the strong performances ultimately unable to compensate for the narrative’s relentlessly slick sheen (ie the movie has crowd-pleasing Oscar bait written all over it). It’s worth noting, however, that Woman in Gold benefits substantially from a series of WWII-set sequences that are far more riveting than one might’ve expected; though such moments possess an extreme sense of familiarity (ie we’ve seen this sort of thing countless times), Curtis admittedly does an effective job of wringing suspense out of several less-than-innovative interludes. (There is, for example, a fantastic chase sequence involving two Jews attempting to make their way out of the country.) The passable atmosphere takes a severe hit as the narrative moves into its erratic second half, with the strong emphasis on the case’s movement through various courts resulting in a hit-and-miss vibe that’s more miss than hit (ie it’s just not terribly interesting). Scripter Alexi Kaye Campbell’s ongoing efforts to prolong the essentially one-note subject matter ensures the third act feels especially padded out, and it’s impossible not to scratch one’s head over the inclusion of pointedly pointless segments (including a time-wasting trip through Maria’s memories) – which ultimately prevents the film from reaching the stirring heights that Curtis has aggressively aimed for.

** out of ****