hip-hip… HUZZAH! hip-hip… HUZZAH! hip-hip... HUZZAH!
It's widely acknowledged as nothing short of tragic that only one of these was made. But it could be worse. This isn't based on any single Patrick O'Brian novel, more a distillation of the best parts of several of them.
Russell Crowe isn't necessarily the most obvious casting for Lucky Jack Aubrey, but he 100% works because of his belief in the material and his undeniable charisma - the same formula that made Gladiator…
I love that they didn't go easy on Shelly. She's deeply sympathetic, but it's nevertheless clear that most of her troubles are due to her choices, and her profoundly arrested personality. That's a much richer story, and harder to sell, than a protagonist who is more a victim of circumstance than their own flaws.
Anderson has deservedly attracted a lot of praise, but actually the whole core cast give simply outstanding performances.
I don't think anything can get in the way of how I- Shit!
From my slightly-too-old-for-this perspective, Scott Pilgrim is a good stand-in for millenials in general. He is superficially kinda cool, but also so self-absorbed as to be basically a psychopath. I think the unlikability of the protagonist is why I initially struggled a bit with the film. But really there is nothing wrong with an antihero, and I like it more the more I watch it.
I would…
