Herald rating: *
Backstage romance has made for many a fine film.
This is not one of them. In fact, compared with this tosh, the sentimental whimsy of Mrs Henderson Presents looks gritty and cynical.
As the clouds of war gather over London, Diana Shaw (Tapper, who plays Rupert
Friend's love interest in Mrs Palfrey) is trying to carve out a theatrical career.
Looming behind her is the shadow of her mother, a stage legend who died when Diana was young.
Meanwhile, her reptilian cousin, in league with several cads, bounder and twits, seeks to make life miserable for her and the struggling writer (Leon) with whom she is falling in love, very slowly. Another suitor hovers.
Writer-director Taylor-Stanley, whose only form so far is a documentary about Lord Lucan, crams the action with dozens of characters, most of whom are toe-curling stereotypes.
Even the old troupers - Bacall, Ackland and Huston - fail to breathe life into an inert enterprise, and Terence Stamp's revamp of John Gielgud's butler in Arthur is only the worst of many cheap touches.
Aspects of the production design that are not straight-out dumb (filter-tipped cigarettes were not widespread until the 1950s) look like a museum display. Quite dire.
Verdict: This backstage love story is clumsy, wooden and about as romantic as a used Band-Aid.
Cast: Zoe Tapper, Andrew Lincoln, David Leon, Angelica Huston, Joss Ackland, Lauren Bacall, Terence Stamp
Director: Julia Taylor-Stanley
Running time: 107 mins
Rating: M Screening: Bridgeway
