329. The Children Act; movie review

THE CHILDREN ACT
Cert 12A
105 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent string language

Several times a week, there will be news items which surround a controversial judgment at London's High Court.
These decisions are often life-changing and polarise opinion, prompting feverish debates across the media.
But we never see or hear interviews from those who have made them. Instead they disappear into the shadows after leaving court.
The brilliant Emma Thompson portrays such a senior judge who is clinical in her application of the law but cannot prevent the humanity of one of her cases getting under her skin.
Meanwhile, at home, despite words being her stock in trade, the judge struggles hopelessly to communicate with her progressively more exasperated husband (Stanley Tucci).
Mrs W and I have had a decent amount of experience of court rooms and judicial process in our respective careers and we agreed that its representation here is spot on.
It manifests itself in the huge detail Thompson's judge needs to understand of each case, down to her manservant (Jason Watkins) who would more politically correctly be called a personal assistant nowadays.
Understandably, despite her calm and professional exterior, it transpires that the most controversial and upsetting of cases do rattle her.
This is fair enough. However, we were disappointed that Richard Eyre's film, adapted from Ian McEwan's novel, pushes the emotional button too hard.
Indeed, there are a couple of toe-curling interactions between Thompson's judge and a teenage subject (Fionn Whitehead) of one of her orders.
Indeed, the concentration on this unlikely relationship undermines what could have been an intelligent and impressive movie.
This is partially offset by the drama surrounding her crumbling marriage and her intriguing irrationality at home.
However, despite Thompson's terrific efforts, The Children Act left Mrs W, Miss W and myself feeling that it had unnecessarily overdone the schmaltz.

Reasons to watch: Emma Thompson - as ever
Reasons to avoid: The overdone sentimentality

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Director quote - Richard Eyre: "If we hadn't had Emma Thompson, the film wouldn't have and couldn't have been made."

The big question - How much do judges really become involved in their cases?

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