What on Earth did I just watch?
The Dressmaker absolutely cannot settle on a genre. When Tilly (Kate Winslett) first arrives in town, it has the taste of a Western. There's also a mystery element added regarding an incident in Tilly's past. There's a romance in there, the abundance of costumes make it feel like a period piece, a few scenes feel like a horror. Ultimately, most of the film fits firmly into the category of comedy or soap opera. Many scenes in The Dressmaker is competently made, but when they are strung together, they so horrendously clash in contrast that the whole film becomes an exercise in incredulity. Moments after a tearful scene over a main character's body, we're laughing out loud at slapstick.
The acting is the film's saving grace. Kate Winslett does absolutely everything the horrendous screenplay asks of her. Her mastery of the Australian accent is impressive and she is classy, funny, dramatic and utterly gorgeous. Judy Davis is very funny in all of her scenes. Sarah Snook cements herself as an exceptional Australian talent, portraying both the ugly duckling and the upper class socialite she becomes later. A look of haughty superiority is so genuine you will scrunch up your nose at her. Hugo Weaving rips his character right out of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but is so much fun about it that you'll forgive him for his occasional overacting. Gyton Grantley and Liam Hemsworth round out the cast and do solid jobs, even if Hemsworth still isn't what I'd call a major talent. The gowns and dresses created for the film are breathtaking and the cinematography is also splendid.
The writing is utterly atrocious, again due to the banal mixing of genres. The mystery is exciting to see unravelled but is ultimately based off a character doing something so stupid and inexplicable that it defies belief. Whenever Tilly's "curse" is mentioned I cringe. Winslett's bizarre memory loss exists only to support the mystery. Elements about Molly not remembering Tilly contributed nothing to the film. Late in the film Hemsworth and Winslett share sappy romantic dialogue and Hemsworth is forced to drop the awful line "It can't be Superman. He's right here." Its a credit to him and Winslett that they were able to get through even a single take of the film.
The Dressmaker is one of the most utterly bizarre films I've ever seen. It's simultaneously one of the greatest and worst movies I've ever seen. That's the same category as Tommy Wiseau's The Room. Not great company.
The Dressmaker absolutely cannot settle on a genre. When Tilly (Kate Winslett) first arrives in town, it has the taste of a Western. There's also a mystery element added regarding an incident in Tilly's past. There's a romance in there, the abundance of costumes make it feel like a period piece, a few scenes feel like a horror. Ultimately, most of the film fits firmly into the category of comedy or soap opera. Many scenes in The Dressmaker is competently made, but when they are strung together, they so horrendously clash in contrast that the whole film becomes an exercise in incredulity. Moments after a tearful scene over a main character's body, we're laughing out loud at slapstick.
The acting is the film's saving grace. Kate Winslett does absolutely everything the horrendous screenplay asks of her. Her mastery of the Australian accent is impressive and she is classy, funny, dramatic and utterly gorgeous. Judy Davis is very funny in all of her scenes. Sarah Snook cements herself as an exceptional Australian talent, portraying both the ugly duckling and the upper class socialite she becomes later. A look of haughty superiority is so genuine you will scrunch up your nose at her. Hugo Weaving rips his character right out of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, but is so much fun about it that you'll forgive him for his occasional overacting. Gyton Grantley and Liam Hemsworth round out the cast and do solid jobs, even if Hemsworth still isn't what I'd call a major talent. The gowns and dresses created for the film are breathtaking and the cinematography is also splendid.
The writing is utterly atrocious, again due to the banal mixing of genres. The mystery is exciting to see unravelled but is ultimately based off a character doing something so stupid and inexplicable that it defies belief. Whenever Tilly's "curse" is mentioned I cringe. Winslett's bizarre memory loss exists only to support the mystery. Elements about Molly not remembering Tilly contributed nothing to the film. Late in the film Hemsworth and Winslett share sappy romantic dialogue and Hemsworth is forced to drop the awful line "It can't be Superman. He's right here." Its a credit to him and Winslett that they were able to get through even a single take of the film.
The Dressmaker is one of the most utterly bizarre films I've ever seen. It's simultaneously one of the greatest and worst movies I've ever seen. That's the same category as Tommy Wiseau's The Room. Not great company.