283. Juniper; movie review

 

JUNIPER

Cert 15

94 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, suicide references, drug misuse

Is there anyone who could play an aged foul-mouthed curmudgeon better than Charlotte Rampling?

For that matter, she could probably portray any role.

Rampling has expertly avoided the stereotypes which could have so easily been drawn after she began her career as a highly successful model and actress known for her beauty.

Since then she has built an extraordinarily varied CV ranging from blockbuster movies and major hit TV series to low-budget horrors and international art house films.

Her talents have no end - for goodness sake, her first autobiography was in French and only later translated into English.

Anyway, Rampling makes Juniper worthy of watching on her own. Actually, she is probably the only reason.

She plays a gin-swilling grandmother who is incapacitated because of a serious leg injury.

Consequently, she travels to New Zealand, so her son (Marton Csokas) can share her care with her nurse (Edith Poor) even though the former can't stand her and the latter barely tolerates her.

Caught in the middle is her grandson (George Ferrier) who is brought back from boarding school to share duties.

The opening exchanges between the young chap, who is still grieving after the death of his mother, and old lady are initially prickly but, as time goes on, they find unlikely common ground.

In my opinion, Matthew J. Saville's film doesn't have enough tricks up its sleeve.

So, once Rampling's character has spewed her verbal bile and her grandson stops taking his bereavement out on her, it is left with a vacuum.

And what comes next is neither fulfilling nor very realistic.

Thus, I was glad I saw Rampling in full flow but doubt the movie will endure in my memory.

Reasons to watch: Charlotte Rampling is top drawer

Reasons to avoid: Very slow

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Off-screen

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Charlotte Rampling's first appearance on screen was in 1965 as an uncredited water skier in The Knack…and How to Get It.

The final word. Charlotte Rampling: "I've always wanted things to be a different challenge each time, so I feel afraid again, so it's something that I'm really going to have to work at and go out and experience another step in the way." Radio Times

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