"Hilary and Jackie" gets off to a weak start, but by the end of the film it has become quite engaging. In fact, the last hour or so of the film is good enough to almost warrant a recommendation, but the first 30 minutes are too rough for me to do so with a good conscience, and the middle hour simply isn't engaging enough.
The film tells the story of two sisters, Hilary and Jacqueline DuPre. Hilary is a flautist, while Jackie is a cellist. The film chronicles their lives as children, where they were torn between being best friends and competing with each other, and their adult lives where jealousy and alienation both tore their relationship apart and also made it stronger.
The problem with the film is not the actors, but the director. "Hilary and Jackie" is a very multi-layered drama, but director Anand Tucker has a hard time keeping it all straight. The result is a film that wants to tell a story, but lacks the focus to tell it in an effective manner. The result is a poorly-focused film that struggles to get its point across.
The acting, however, is magnificent. Emily Watson is terrific as Jackie. She has a love/hate relationship with her cello-playing. One one hand, playing the cello is something that she's good at, but on the other hand, it alienates her from what she wants in life. Although Watson has the more showy part, Griffiths is by no means a lesser performer here. Griffiths is torn between helping her sister, and living the life she wants with her husband and family. Based on his reputation and his stiff performance in "The Water Horse" (ironically also starring Emily Watson), I didn't think that David Morrissey had the capacity to act. Fortunately, I was wrong. Morrrissey gives an energetic performance as Hilary's husband Kiffer. He loves his wife, but sometimes that comes at a price. Likewise, James Frains is a far cry from his performance as the villain in "Into the Blue." He's also a musician, and his relationship with Jackie is an example of who romances between artists can be very difficult.
There's some good stuff here; the music is beautiful, and the scenes where Jackie plays are effectively executed. But it's just put together quite well enough to warrant more than a "see it if you must" verdict.
The film tells the story of two sisters, Hilary and Jacqueline DuPre. Hilary is a flautist, while Jackie is a cellist. The film chronicles their lives as children, where they were torn between being best friends and competing with each other, and their adult lives where jealousy and alienation both tore their relationship apart and also made it stronger.
The problem with the film is not the actors, but the director. "Hilary and Jackie" is a very multi-layered drama, but director Anand Tucker has a hard time keeping it all straight. The result is a film that wants to tell a story, but lacks the focus to tell it in an effective manner. The result is a poorly-focused film that struggles to get its point across.
The acting, however, is magnificent. Emily Watson is terrific as Jackie. She has a love/hate relationship with her cello-playing. One one hand, playing the cello is something that she's good at, but on the other hand, it alienates her from what she wants in life. Although Watson has the more showy part, Griffiths is by no means a lesser performer here. Griffiths is torn between helping her sister, and living the life she wants with her husband and family. Based on his reputation and his stiff performance in "The Water Horse" (ironically also starring Emily Watson), I didn't think that David Morrissey had the capacity to act. Fortunately, I was wrong. Morrrissey gives an energetic performance as Hilary's husband Kiffer. He loves his wife, but sometimes that comes at a price. Likewise, James Frains is a far cry from his performance as the villain in "Into the Blue." He's also a musician, and his relationship with Jackie is an example of who romances between artists can be very difficult.
There's some good stuff here; the music is beautiful, and the scenes where Jackie plays are effectively executed. But it's just put together quite well enough to warrant more than a "see it if you must" verdict.