I'll happily admit being a biased critic when it comes to some films. For example, you know I'm going to geek-out over the latest Marvel Studios release. But aside from that I do try to approach any film I see with an open mind. Generally it seems that most critics don't do that - they've been quick to savage 'Fifty Shades of Grey'; and, being honest, I can understand why. The book upon which it is based is - how can I put this kindly? - not exactly at the high end of literature. The book trilogy has been criticised for its portrayal of what can be argued to be an abusive relationship; some would argue that it might actually be contributing to women remaining in abusive relationships because of some romantic fantasy that they might change and tame their abusive partner. Well, I'm not sure to what extent that is true if at all - but I do know that the books ARE a fantasy - and for the many, many fans that have devoured the Trilogy and obsessed over central character Christian Grey, it is a Fantasy that has captured their imagination. I should know, I happen to be married to one of these fans - who also tried to get me to read the books. And I gave it a go.
I didn't get very far - less than a third in to the first book; in all honesty, I just found it so unintentionally hilarious that I couldn't read it. It doesn't help that - I must admit I'm with some of these critics - it's not exactly well written (no, making your characters have conversations about Brontë or 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' does not make you a literary great, Mrs James). The characterisation doesn't ever scrape any more depth than rice paper in most places. And I didn't even find it sexy at all - in fact, when a character orgasms because Grey tells her to, that was when I had to put the book down for laughing too hard.
Despite this I wanted to approach this movie adaptation with an open mind. Unlike a lot of movie critics - who are like lions waiting to savage the lame wildebeest at the back of the pack, so much do they delight in opportunities to maul certain films - I was willing to give this film a chance. For the uninitiated, the Trilogy is the story of the relationship between literature grad student Anastasia/Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). A virgin when she meets him (!), he initiates her in to his desired relationship, where she is his submissive and he the dominant. Cue scenes of vanilla 'kinky' bondage and sex that are probably not kinky at all compared to what a few clicks on Google could likely find you (or so I'm told *cough*).
 |
| Dakota Johnson's portrayal of Ana improves a huge amount on the source material... |
Immediately there is a chance for this film to improve on the source materials, in terms of adding depth and believability to the characters. In the books Anastasia is pretty much an avatar for the reader to project themselves, and their fantasies, on to - she believes herself to be plain and not attractive, she's a bit awkward and clumsy, and in comparison her friends look like supermodels and have every man they want; but secretly every man that knows her desires her - though none of them appeal to her that way, as she is waiting for 'the one' who will 'spark that desire'. Besides that there is little else to her, she says 'oh my' and bites her lip a lot. The opening title montage, which switches between Ana and Grey getting ready for their first meeting together, indicates early on that the film is about to take this route; Ana in her dowdy button up dress and cardigan, her hair slightly - though crucially, not completely - unruly (it's noteworthy that it becomes glossier and more manageable as the film goes on though....), she sets off to interview Grey to cover for her pretty, blonde, model looking friend, who was supposed to go but has flu.
The first few scenes are unsurprisingly faithful to the book, and the film looks as though it might follow with the source material's flaws due to unintentionally humorous and sledge-hammer abrupt symbolism. At the meeting with Grey he seems to become interested in her when she rubs the tip of her pencil against her lips (yes, really), and at the end of the meeting she runs out side to a conveniently timed rain shower (because she either needs to cool down, or symbolising that... never mind!). This continues when she is at work at a hardware store, and Grey tracks her down. At this point Grey does come across as somewhat creepy, just as many have criticised the character for being, and there's an unintentionally hilarious moment when Grey makes a male co-worker physically back away from Ana. It plays out almost like some strange, almost psychic, moment of male dominance; or like watching a snippet of a wildlife film with two rival Lions eyeing each other before they fight over the females in the pride.
Had the film continued in this vein, unknowingly sending itself up, then it would have been - in its own terms - quite a disaster. But at this point the writers and directors begin to have fun with it, it starts to develop a wry sense of humour about itself - and at once becomes more enjoyable for the right reasons. During this scene fans of TV Series 'The Fall' will appreciate a nod to Dornan's role in that as he's buying rope and cable ties. If you've read the books, as most of the audience seemed to, this scene manages to be played with a bit of self-aware humour - Ana doesn't know what it means, but everyone else does.
It's after this scene that the film's greatest strength becomes clear, and it is surprising: Dakota Johnson brings a lot more wit, humanity and believability to the role of Ana than it should arguably be possible, based on how she is portrayed in the book. She is genuinely funny in a scene where she makes a drunken phone call to Grey, and in possibly the films' most intentionally funny scene, where she discusses the Submissive contract with Grey. At this point she is no demure, naive woman - she is confident and assured, playing with Grey, not letting him have the upper hand. I also have to mention this scene as it provoked an uproarous reaction from the audience with its discussion of fisting - and also because I will probably never, ever get the chance to write 'fisting' in one of my reviews again..!
Johnson plays Ana with the right mix of confidence, vulnerability and innocence to elevate her character above the source novels. She also bravely commits to a role that requires a lot of nudity. In fact it surprised me that she spends a lot more of the film naked than Dornan as Grey - especially as the appeal of the book to most of the fans was how Grey is supposed to be the epitome 'male perfection', with his dark, handsome looks, chiseled and athletically sculpted physique, and *ahem* other well-endowed attributes. Dornan's shirtless a lot, and there are few shots from behind, but there was no Fassbender style full-frontal shot (sorry to disappoint you, ladies).
 |
| Jamie Dornan spends approximately 15% of the film shirtless. It might not be enough for some ladies..! |
On top of this, Dornan's portrayal of Grey contrasts with Johnson's Ana almost totally; whilst he has the dark, brooding looks that most people probably want from the character, he almost looks like a dead-eyed robot, delivering lines that elicit laughs as though he doesn't realise they're meant to (or would anyway). During the sex scenes he doesn't look as though he is being driven by any kind of lust, or desire, or passion. His performance made me think of a Terminator - you could almost imagine Grey actually being one of those Cyborgs sent back by Skynet, not with a mission to kill but to engage in kinky sex..! (In actual fact I do think he'd be perfect for the role of a villainous robot in a future movie in that series...) As Grey is so central to the appeal of the Books, it's disappointing here that he isn't given more depth beyond a narrow portrayal of a wealthy, physically 'perfect' man who came from a background of abuse.
Another flaw is that the 'eroticism' which was the Novel's controversial draw is, well, actually a bit boring here. Just when the film builds a sense of fun from Johnson's performance and how it knowingly deals with source material, a glossily shot but not-at-all titillating sex scene detracts from this. In fact, the unintentional humour creeps in to these moments on occasion - during one of the sex/bondage scenes Grey sniffs Ana's underwear, which prompted a hearty chuckle from a man sat somewhere behind me; this, in turn, set me off giggling, and I was barely able to suppress my laughter for the remainder of the scene.
The sex scenes almost feel like a distraction from the main part of the film, which is Ana and Christian's relationship. If this adaptation fails to capture the 'mummy porn' aspect that made the books popular, it has no such problems with the 'lifestyle porn' elements. Helicopter rides, flights in gliders, collections of fast expensive cars, outrageously expensive apartments with tasteful decoration and city views - this part of the fantasy of dating a Billionaire has made it to screen well and truly intact. The film is glossily shot, like a high value '80's Bruckheimer/Simpson movie, with a similarly glossy and high-value soundtrack of big popstars (Beyonce, Ellie Goulding, etc).
So, is this film actually any good then? Surprisingly it is fun at times - and I don't just mean the times that fidelity to the source material means it is unintentionally so. Dakota Johnson invests her character with a better performance than you'd expect, or would believe the book deserves; if anyone will breakout and become a star form this film, she would deserve to. And watching this movie with an audience that is familiar with the material, and takes the funnier parts in the spirit they're portrayed, actually makes for an entertaining trip to the cinema! But having said that, it arguably doesn't do enough to overcome the problems of the source material - this film version could have done with focusing more on the non-sexual part of Ana & Christian's relationship, and might even have provided an effective love story, giving Grey more humanity and an arc in which Ana's love for him helps him move on from the traumas of his past and fetishised behaviour. Unfortunately, with a pre-built audience that has so far devoured this adaptation enthusiastically, the need for the Movie Studio to set up a profitable Franchise outweighs the need for interesting story-telling - so this film does have an unsatisfying climax (sorry..!). Above all, if you were already a fan, this adaptation will no doubt satisfy you; if you were a hater it won't do anything to change your opinion. For the rest of us, it's something of a curio that doesn't quite fulfill its potential; there are other films that have more convincing romances/love stories, that manage to be genuinely erotic, and/or explore a BDSM relationship in an affecting way. The brilliant 'Secretary' springs to mind - it does all these better than 'Fifty Shades' has managed.
No comments:
Post a Comment