Free of the Harry Potter juggernaut, British actor and director Alan Rickman has finally returned to the director's chair, almost two decades after his directing debut with The Winter Guest.
His A Little Chaos comes delivered in the manner of a conventional British period drama as it tells the story of Madame Sabine de Bara (Winslet), an independent and pioneering landscape gardener commissioned by King Louis XIV's landscape artist Andre Le Notre (Schoenaerts) to design and build one of the main gardens at the King's new palace in Versailles.
Madame de Barra spends considerable time traipsing around in the mud struggling with the magnitude of the job, weather, competitors and King's demands. As far as garden projects' go, it doesn't get any bigger than this.
The hands-on practicality contrasts well with the more tradition trappings of a costume drama, complete with lavish costumes and heaving bosoms, extravagant interiors and colourful court life.
At times A Little Chaos comes across as a witty, light-hearted romp, especially with Rickman himself as King Louis XIV and a camp Stanley Tucci as the king's bisexual brother. The heart of the story, though, is the budding romance between Madame de Barra and Le Notre - which, unfortunately, is given a more solemn treatment.
Watch: Trailer for A Little Chaos
Winslet, who worked with Rickman previously on Sense and Sensibility, has both the strength and vulnerability for the role of a woman recovering from a terrible personal loss, while breaking down barriers in a physical male industry. However, Matthias Schoenaerts is a touch wooden as the famous landscape architect Le Notre. While there's some chemistry, their sweet, predictable romance swings between too slow burning and too melodramatic.
A Little Chaos doesn't quite convince as a depiction of life as a 17th century French aristocrat, and is longer than it needs to be, but Madame de Barra's story is an interesting one, and there's plenty to charm green-thumbed film-goers.
Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Kate Winslet
Director: Alan Rickman
Running Time: 116 mins
Rating: M (Sex scenes)
Verdict: Charming Sunday afternoon entertainment
- TimeOut