Review No.4: Albert Nobbs

At this time of year the majority of the films being released in the UK are seen as awards contenders and that is true of Albert Nobbs the second film I've reviewed to be directed by Rodrigo Garcia. It seems that Albert Nobbs was in fact a pet project of Glenn Close who starred in the stage version of the story and has since been trying to get it made as a film. Obviously Close is in the lead role of Nobbs a butler working in 19th Century Ireland. However Albert is not all he seems and is in fact a woman posing as a man in order to get a more prestigious job in various houses and hotels in the country. Albert's secret is discovered by Hubert Page a person in Albert's situation but a woman posing as a man who has found a wife. Hubert gives Albert the confidence to pursue Mia Wasikowska's young maid Helen to be his wife and work alongside him at the tobacconists shop that he wishes to run but Helen's head is already turned by Aaron Johnson's roguish Joe who wants to use Albert's affections for his own gain. Things get in the way of Albert's plans including disease, unwanted pregnancies and death but it would be spoiling it to reveal any more than that.

One thing I can say about Albert Nobbs is that it looks lovely and everything about the period detail has been carefully researched. Fans of Downton Abbey will love the look of the hotel, the Irish streets and the upstairs-downstairs feel this has. Close is the main attraction here and is likely to be the biggest threat to Meryl Streep's Oscar win as she is doing both an accent and a gender-swap if only Nobbs was based on a true story she'd have it in the bag. However it is Janet McTeer who gives the best performance as Hubert Page someone who, to me at least, is more convincing as a man and is the most multi-layered character here. The main problem for me was the story which never was sure what it wanted to be and ended up being over-cluttered with the sub-plot involving Joe and Helen seeming incredibly clichéd and I also thought their was an over-abundance of characters with Jonathan Rhys Meyers coming off the worst with his dashing cad only appearing briefly. Though this film looks great for me I thought there was some sloppy storytelling which is surprising seeing as this was on the stage first but then again not all theatre work translates well to the screen.

Verdict: A sumptuous cinematic treat is slightly tarnished with a crowded cast and uneven script so I will give it a very respectable 6.5/10