‘Victoria and Abdul’ | Movie Review

Victoria and Abdul: a Lavish Dramedy with Wonderfully Packaged Moments

 I can’t imagine Judi Dench disappointing in anything she appears in.  This movie is another testament to her prowess. “Victoria and Abdul” tells the story of Queen Victoria (Dench) and her closest confidante Abdul, played by Ali Fazal, who first comes to England to present the Queen with a ceremonial coin.  He soon becomes a trusted friend, mainly due to his wide-eyed innocence and complete disregard for proper decorum  around the queen.  This, combined with the loneliness of the 81 year-old monarch leads to a deep friendship between the two, one that was completely erased from royal history after the Queen’s death.  Only lately, after discovering clues and also reading the memoirs of Abdul himself has this story come to the forefront.  It’s a tender story of a great friendship.

Dench, once again reprising her role as one of the best known queens in history (she played a younger Queen Vic in 1998 in her Oscar-nominated Mrs. Brown), is a masterful actress.  At the beginning of the movie, she plays the elderly, bored and hopeless queen with great sighs and facial expressions, speaking volumes with just a flash of those eyes.  After her new friendship begins to invigorate her, she again plays the part with every fiber of her being.  Truly, it is a role she embodies from the inside out.

After a scene where she is temporarily disappointed, her countenance once again reverts to the elderly person she was at the beginning of the film; downtrodden, sad, and completely hopeless. 

Fazal is fantastic as the wide-eyed servant who becomes a decorated member of the royal household.  His exuberance and excited banter win the queen over quickly, as well as audiences who watch.   We cheer him on.

There are also great supporting performances from Abdul’s sidekick, played wonderfully by Adeel Akhtar, the hilarious Eddie Izzard who plays the “eyebrowly” and pompous Prince Albert.  The actors playing the household staff are great too, especially the Queens smarmy doctor, played to the stuffy hilt by Paul Higgins.  There’s a brief but fun cameo by Albus Dumbledore No. 2, Michael Gambon as the Prime Minister. The late Tim Piggot-Smith plays the head of the household, Sir Henry Ponsonby with delightfully stifled consternation.

Does the movie fall short anywhere?  Not in many places.  I feel that there is never enough time to truly show how a relationship evolves, although most audiences would probably lose interest if this movie spent more time.   It’s a little difficult to see how deep the friendship went and when things move as fast as they do in films today.  Still, the acting is so stellar maybe no one will mind.

The comedic moments in the movie work better than the serious ones, although the whole thing works together nicely.  It is sure to get some attention during awards season.

Should you see it?  Yes.  I’d even tell you to go the extra mile and see it in the theaters, mainly due to the wonderful cinematography and scenes of grandeur in the royal courts.

Victoria and Abdul is directed by Stephen Frears and rated PG-13 for language and adult themes.  It stars Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Tim Piggott-Smith, Eddie Izzard and Adeel Akhtar.

My grade: A-

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Mark Tullis

Mark is a 25-year veteran teacher teaching in Columbia. Originally from Fairfield, Mark is married with four children. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his family, and has been involved in various aspects of professional and community theater for many years and enjoys appearing in local productions. Mark has also written a "slice of life" style column for the Republic-Times since 2007.
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