354. The Seagull; movie review

THE SEAGULL
Cert 12A
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent scenes of violence

Apparently, Checkov's The Seagull changed theatre forever.
Originally, it was a dud and then became re-imagined by a director who made it one of the most celebrated pieces ever to hit the stage.
However, its transition to the big screen, which Checkov could not have imagined, is not without its hurdles.
Michael Mayer relies on an all-star cast to try to make The Seagull work and he nearly pulls it off but the problem is that the actors' exaggerate as if they are treading the boards.
Therefore, there is too much overly dramatic shouting, too much wailing over love and too many conversations about minutiae.
The Seagull stars the wonderful Annette Bening as Irina - an actress whose entourage of family and friends live off her.
Apparently, Bening's place on the cast was like a magnet to others such as Brian Dennehy, who plays Irina's brother, Billy Howle, who plays her son and Saoirse Ronan, who is the latter's love interest.
Much to his dismay, she is besotted by his mother's writer boyfriend (Corey Stoll).
"Hold on a minute", I hear you cry. "Weren't Howle and Ronan entwined on the big screen earlier this summer."
I congratulate you on your keen observation. Yes, they were equally intense (and unfulfilled) in On Chesil Beach. Perhaps, one day they will finally have a smooth romance.
Anyway, tears flow, jealousies rise and anger reaches a crescendo as home truths come to the fore at the country home of the actress.
Because it is an adaptation from a play, The Seagull could have felt claustrophobic but, fortunately, it does occasionally burst out of the mansion to the beauty of the nearby lake.
Nevertheless, it cannot shake the sense of being on stage but it did prompt me to want to see it live - with this cast, of course.


Reasons to watch: For theatre-lovers who want to see stars give their all
Reasons to avoid: Its language may be a tad too rich for some

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

Director quote - Michael Mayer: "Chekov didn't live to see cinema emerge as a global art form. I'd like to think he would appreciate our film's intention to capture that life is accessible to everyone and understood in ts cruel internal irony by almost no-one."

The big question - Are actors and writers really so self-obsessed?

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