Dame Judi Dench dons a wig and ditches her make up to play Barbara, a ball busting history teacher whose mundane existence is turned upside down when an enchanting new member of staff (Blanchett) joins her school.
Babs slowly develops an unhealthy infatuation with her young colleague – she’s called Sheba by the way, presumably after the “Queen of” rather than the cat food – and it soon becomes clear that her feelings run much deeper than mere friendship.
Eventually aware of this unwanted attention Sheba attempts to tone down the relationship, but soon finds herself in a twisted web of blackmail and deceit when Babs catches her in an uncompromising position with one of their 15 year old pupils (Simpson).
They say:
Total Film: "If you can ignore the script’s gaping plotholes this is an acting showcase to savour, with Dame Judi on imperious form.”
Empire: "Intelligent, classy and skin crawling. You won’t see a better acting masterclass this year.”
BBC Films: “Writer Patrick Marber crafts a psychological thriller of rare delicacy that grabs your attention with a gentle touch and refuses to let go.”
We say:
Adapted from Zoe Heller’s 2003 Booker shortlisted novel by renowned screenwriter Patrick “Closer” Marber, Notes on a Scandal is up for four Oscars and has been nominated for countless other awards across the globe.
So it’s brilliant right? Err…not really. Sure enough, Dame Judi is on majestic form, playing against type as a manipulative, obsessive and creepy old bat, miles removed from the loveable English dames that have made her name. Think of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, but 30 years older now and with a love for the ladies rather than boiled bunnies.
Apart from her tour de force central performance and decent supporting turns from Blanchett and Nighy (as Sheeba’s aging husband), there isn’t a great deal to make notes on. The narrative is fairly predictable, with Dench’s voiceover occasionally helpful but eventually tiresome and the relationship between Sheba and her pupil is about as credible as the prospect of England winning the cricket World Cup next month.
Critics will no doubt lavish praise on the movie because of their love for all things Dench – do you know any woman who doesn’t claim to adore her? – but you can’t help feeling that this would have worked better as a Sunday night drama on ITV.
CAST
Judi Dench
Cate Blanchett
Bill Nighy
Andrew Simpson
DIRECTOR
Richard Eyre
TIME
92 mins
POSTED...
Thu 1 Feb 2007 at 8:28pm
