Helen Mirren engages in the year's greatest tour de force as she plays Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears' The Queen. The film, set around the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana, follows the royal family in what became a publicity nightmare. While British Prime Minister Tony Blair, played brilliantly by Michael Sheen, becomes the love of the people, the royal family becomes a target for criticism as the Queen refuses to make a public statement.This film is a lot like Capote from last year. It is a small film that is ultimately driven by one character. Similar to Philip Seymour Hoffman's turn as the infamous writer Truman Capote, Mirren captures the very essence of Queen Elizabeth II, and she makes the viewer forget that she is really not the Queen. Like Capote, The Queen offers a wonderful supporting character of the opposite sex. Just as Catherine Keener (Harper Lee) was the yin to Hoffman's yang, Sheen functions in the same capacity forMirren, who is sure to be an Oscar shoo-in for Best Actress.
I've only given out one A+ this fall, and that was for The Departed. I'm happy to say that while this film is just a hair shy of the excellence achieved by The Departed, The Queen runs a close second. A+.
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