Movie Review: Brideshead Revisited

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Restrictive social class obligations. Romantically frustrated young adults. Beautiful English country mansions. What do these things have in common? They’re all ingredients for a good British drama. They’ve already been subjects of great movies like Bright Young Things, Becoming Jane and Atonement, and they are also at the heart of Brideshead Revisited, an adaptation of the classic Evelyn Waugh novel.

This tearjerker focuses on Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), a first-year college student who strikes up a friendship with Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw), a fellow student who comes from a noble family. For one summer, Charles stays with the Flyte family at their mansion. While Charles considers his relationship with Sebastian to just be friendly, Sebastian, who is homosexual, wants it to be more. After Charles falls in love with Sebastian’s sister Julia (Hayley Atwell), the Flytes’ strict Catholic mother (Emma Thompson) puts the kibosh on the relationship, and Charles’ friendship with Sebastian is destroyed.

The performances in Brideshead Revisited are all good. Thompson does superbly as Lady Marchmain, the overbearing mother, and Ben Whishaw is impressive as Sebastian. As the lead, Matthew Goode also has a good onscreen presence.

Brideshead Revisted fits well in the pantheon of great British drama, but it doesn’t really stand out. It’s just another lushly photographed, well-acted literary adaptation about class, romantic frustration and—you guessed it—beautiful English country mansions.

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