This movie, being a movie about making a movie, isn't entirely a unique premise, but it's still an entertainingly clever idea for a movie. Despite this being set in 1940 Britain during the daily threats of the Nazi Blitz bombings of London, this is still essentially a relatively unexciting and reserved look at getting a movie made. For aspiring film makers and screenwriters, there are some nice plot points about studio interference, arrogant actors, writers block, budget and time constraints, plus many more winks towards how movies are made.
While the movie making magic adds to the appeal of seeing this, the lead actors in Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, and Bill Nighy, are what makes this a charming delight of a film to watch. Gemma Arterton is a very likable main protagonist, which this movie wisely uses her character to give us the reoccurring plot thread about feminism and misogyny during that era. Sam Claflin is the character that Arterton gets to banter with a lot during the movie, which can be pretty enjoyable to watch. Bill Nighy plays the arrogant actor whose pompous personality adds some nice comedic moments to the movie.
It's easy to praise this movie for what it is, when considering the combination of the interesting premise, charming characters, and the appealing plot, but it's not a perfect film by any means. Some could say that the pacing is slow, or that it has it's fair share of plot cliches, or that it's simply not that exciting of a movie. Those are fair criticisms actually, but I think they can be easily be ignored once or if you happen to find yourself invested with the characters. I feel that the characters; lead and supporting cast, are the key factors on how much you would enjoy this movie. Luckily for me, I liked the cast, and in addition I even liked the movie within this movie.
lovedit ENJOYED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
