Ian McKellen is wonderful as Sherlock Holmes in Bill Condon's "Mr. Holmes". He's so good that it's a shame his performance isn't in service of better and more substantial material.
"Mr. Holmes" really isn't a bad film but a plodding and seemingly aimless one. At the outset, the film seems to want to be a reflection of one's life and a meditation on aging. Holmes is 93 years old, living in a quaint little cottage in England. He spends his days puttering around his house and tending to his bees. "Mr. Holmes" teaches us a great deal about bees versus wasps and the distinct differences between the two. It makes Holmes happy but doesn't really make for riveting cinema.
Holmes has an unlikely sidekick when he returns to his cottage. Roger (Milo Parker) is the young son of Holmes' housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney). He takes great interest in Holmes' bees and the stories Holmes shares about his life and the one case that got away. Trying to recount the events of the case, Holmes spends time scribbling down the details and telling us the story in voiceover. There are some flashbacks, but there is more telling than showing.
"Mr. Holmes" works best as a character study of Holmes coping with the signs of aging. The film is moving in sporadic segments as Holmes has to fight against his fading memory when trying to recall that elusive final case. The supposed intrigue of the film is what seems lacking throughout. There's never a sense of urgency to any of Condon's film, which doesn't translate to the most involving movie.
For the past several years, McKellen has oscillated between two major franchises - well, three if we consider "The Hobbit" it's own entity from "The Lord of the Rings - but "Mr. Holmes" gives him a chance to really act again. He hits all of the right notes as Holmes, a man who is proud of his storied past but vulnerable towards his present and future. He tries to retain his confidence and independence in his twilight years, which often proves to be his most daunting task.
McKellen and Linney have both worked with Condon in the past (he for "Gods and Monsters", she for "Kinsey" and "The Fifth Estate"). They are comfortable on screen and clearly have put their repeated trust in Condon, who has a checkered filmography. Viewers should start being a little more hesitant of his films.
| Movie title | Mr. Holmes |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2015 |
| MPAA Rating | PG |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | Ian McKellen is superb in the plodding "Mr. Holmes". |
