A tale of two dames
I received The Good Liar, starring Dames Helen Mirren and Ian Winkies
McKellen, as a gift for Christmas. In it, McKellen plays a man who likes the ladies; and that's acting folks! It's what thespians do, dontchaknow?* (muses)
Herself and I watched it last night. It was definitely alright, despite what I think might be a slightly baffling continuity cock-up at the end. And it's unquestionably worth a rewatch, which might even clear up that continuity cock-up. Really cool poster too! (thumbup)
The film did include a same-sex relationship, multiracial to boost the signal obv., but it was tacked on at the end and played no role in advancing the story. Almost as if it was present solely for DivErSitY AnD InCLuSiOn
™ credits. Still, at least Winkies didn't miss out on any on-screen action, when he had to pretend to prefer the pussy.
7/10
Coincidentally, that's also the median score on IMDb. Clearly, I have my finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist. (proud)
Spoilers…? [click]
I'm not sure if these spoil the plot, or betray my degree of sobriety.
- As Betty's relating her plot to Roy, the scene when he approached her in the restaurant is played back. But that was before he revealed his
real identity
. So how did she know he was the man she was hunting at that time? (confused) - Betty confirmed that Roy Courtnay was Hans Taub by comparing the DNA from hair clippings. But hair clippings don't contain DNA. (nerd)
- Why did Betty risk capture taking Roy's bank tablet when she could've just transferred the money while he was travelling?
- The film is set in 2009. Assuming that Hans was a not unreasonabele 25-years-old in 1945, that would make Roy 89. He seems pretty robust for an almost nonagenarian. For reference, Winkies was a sprightly 80 at the time the film was made. (oldman)
* McKellen has previously opined that heterosexual actors shouldn't be restricted to their lane, and should be allowed to play alphabet soup characters. (muses)
"Is the argument that a straight man cannot play a gay part, and, if so, does that mean I can't play straight parts and I'm not allowed to explore the fascinating subject of heterosexuality in Macbeth?" McKellen asked incredulously. "Surely not. We're acting. We're pretending."
Sir Ian Mckellen, via Entertainment Weekly
I guess that's what's known as enlightened self-interest. After all, nobody likes a mithering hypocrite, do they?