The Critic is set amidst the vibrant theatre scene of the 1930s and it follows the relationship between a fierce drama critic and the actress who falls victim to his callous commentary. The role of the unforgiving and savage critic, Jimmy Erskine, is played by wickedly talented Sir Ian McKellen. Nina Land, played by Gemma Arterton, is a much-beloved leading lady by London theatregoers but endeavours each performance to win the approval of Erskine.
When the owner of the paper dies, his son (Mark Strong) is promoted and Jimmy Erskine’s job is under threat. He is warned to make his work more palatable and less cruel or he will be cut. Jimmy, under suspicion of his boss's affliction for Nina Land, strikes up a deal with the actress.
This deal acts as the catalyst for scandal, affairs, and the downfall of their unhappy victims. One thing I enjoyed about this film was the insight into the 1930s theatre scene and the stakes of a play's fate being the social epicentre of London. Before going to watch it, I thought it would solely focus on the dramatics of the stage, fame, and scandal and I was really intrigued by the exploration of the relationship between critic and actor, one which is often solely reserved for written commentary.
In the film, you see Jimmy and Nina meeting to discuss their artistic differences and their own views of the craft of acting. I really enjoyed this scene but felt it was rushed in order to speed up the revenge plot of the protagonist. Jimmy Erskine’s character was convoluted; it is hard to know what his intentions are and why he is driven to act so carelessly.
We learn early on that Jimmy is homosexual, yet his struggle with prejudice is not fully explored. This drama on the surface had everything concerning issues of 1930s social life, from closeted homosexuality, affairs, scandals, and a sudden suicide, but it felt as if each of these components was left half-finished. Due to this disjointed viewing, it seemed to me that each of these components, instead of forming a shocking climax, worked to build anxiety throughout the film as opposed to a tragedy.
At points it felt as if scenes were missing, as you could not always make out how each action led to the next. When looking into this film I was curious as to why the initial date of release was 2023 when I had only just seen it in the cinema. Upon further research I saw that The Critic had been released and then shortly retracted for scenes to be reshot.
I found this interesting, as this perhaps explains this incoherence I felt between scenes. I thought each storyline was clever and beautifully acted, but not detailed nor dramatic enough. The cast is completely star-studded, from Ian Mckellan, Gemma Artertan, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, and Lesley Manville and—unlike Jimmy Erskine—I could not fault the acting in this performance.
The whole cast was incredible from start to finish, and at points I felt the actors were doing everything they could within the restraints of the writing. Had there been more scenes or more build up to the ‘shocking’ revelations, I feel this film could have been great. I would have loved to see more of what I enjoyed about this film, like the witty and catty Ian McKellan and the anxiety of performance.
Sadly, and rather ironically, I feel like a catty critic of this film that had so much potential.