KEY POINTS:
Miss Potter is a sweet, pretty and totally inoffensive film about Beatrix Potter, the creator of wonderful characters such as Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, and the books about them.
American Renee Zellweger controversially stars as the English Miss Potter but, much like she did in Bridget Jones's Diary, does a lovely job and proves she is more than capable of pulling off an English accent. Zellweger's Potter is gentle, intelligent, a bit kooky and, with her squinty eyes and pouty lips, a little like one of her characters - Mrs Tittlemouse maybe.
The film starts with Potter in her early 30s, single, and living at home where she spends most of her time in her old nursery which is now her painting studio. Her only friends seem to be the characters she creates and she has a lively relationship with them, which the film captures wonderfully by bringing them to life as watercolour cartoons.
After a series of refusal letters, Frederick Warne & Co decide, much to Miss Potter's surprise and delight to publish her book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Norman Warne (McGregor), gets the job of looking after Miss Potter and her naughty little rabbit. Much to Beatrix's mother's disapproval, the two fall in love.
While Potter's life might not have been the norm for most ladies in the late 19th century-early 20th century - refusing to marry the suitors her mother lined up for her and keen to be financially independent - she isn't portrayed as rebelliously as she sounds.
Potter is polite and proper, and hardly comes across as the embarrassment her mother fears.
The film spends quite a bit of time flashing back to Beatrix's childhood where she entertained her brother and governess with stories of her pet animals. We discover how holidays in the Lake District inspired her characters and stories, and encouraged her to live there as an adult, using her book earnings to buy farms and save them from developers.
Miss Potter is a charming and gentle film, but full of dramatic licence and not terribly revealing. It touches on the well-known aspects of Potter's life, and is a portrait of the woman fans would like to imagine created these charming tales.
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger, Emily Watson
Director: Chris Noonan
Running Time: 88 minutes
Rating: G
Screening: SkyCity, Hoyts and Berkeley
Verdict: A perfect Sunday afternoon time-waster
