Tag: Elizabeth McGovern

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE – Review

(L to R) Laura Carmichael stars as Lady Edith, Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Hexham, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Grantham, Hugh Bonneville stars as Robert Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in DOWNTON ABBEY: The Grand Finale, a Focus Features release. Credit: Rory Mulvey / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

It has been a good, long run but DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE is the final bow for the British world of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, which fans have followed through several seasons on British TV (and PBS here) and then three movies, which have continued the saga.

Series creator/writer Julian Fellowes followed up his successful film GOSFORD PARK and followed the lead of earlier British series “Upstairs, Downstairs” in crafting this tale of a likable noble family in Yorkshire and their equally appealing servants, but made it so much more, by following the changes in Britain in the early 20th century. Starting in 1912 and ending in 1930, the tale of the Crawley family is set in a period of great change in Britain for both the aristocratic class and, with expanding democracy and opportunities, for the people who worked for them.

So many things came together just right in this series to make it both entertaining and engrossing. Julian Fellowes’ great writing and historical research, and a great cast, made this combination of historic storytelling, family drama, and character-driver stories (spiked with plenty of humor) into a surprisingly enjoyable ride, even if costume drama is not your cup of tea. Add to that the incomparable late Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, whose smart, snappy comebacks and biting, sharply observed comments, became the highlight of many an episode. The mostly British cast was outstanding, included American ex-pat Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville, and launching the careers of Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens, and others. Plus there were all those fabulous British manor house locations and wonderful early 20th century fashions (especially in the 1920s), and it made for great escapist fun. The popular TV show was such a hit that the actual manor house where it was filmed, Highclere Castle, became a tourist destination.

But the time finally comes to say goodbye, and DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE is a good an exit as one could hope for. In this final chapter, the Crawley family is in a kind of holding pattern, as Lady Mary is poised to take over the estate from her father, Lord Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), but with dad a bit reluctant to let go. But there is something else to deal with: visitors from America. Lady Grantham, Cora Crawley’s (Elizabeth McGovern) brother Harold Levinson (Paul Giamatti) has arrived from the States, with a friend Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola), a financial advisor of sorts, and some bad financial news. While the British Crawleys’ fortune survived the Crash, the brother has not done as well. The brother’s American companion is charming if bold, and is also in Britain to see his horse race at Ascot, while helping the brother with his financial mess after the stock market crash.

While the Crawley’s try to sort out Harold’s financial mess, there are subplots aplenty, with is a little scandal with Lady Mary, a truce of sorts from oft- battling sisters, and updates on all the characters’ lives. The story lets us check in with the family, daughters Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) and Edith, Lady Hexham, and son-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech), as well as beloved servants, Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle), and butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), and more. There are also returns of earlier characters who have gone on to other things, like Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), now a theatrical director, and movie star Guy Dexter (Dominic West), who have arrived with playwright Noel Coward (Arty Froushan).

Fellowes weaves the story elements together well, and director Simon Curtis gives us plenty of eye candy with elegant fashions, particularly on Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary, and shots of gorgeous locations and period decor, as the aristocratic Crawley family makes the rounds of upper crust London, back home at Downton Abbey, and capped with a trip to Ascot. Meanwhile, the servants’ lives are working out well, with many set to retire to comfortable cottages and with their newfound spouses, and a country fair sequence near the end lets everyone mingle.

This final chapter captures all the charm of the series, TV and film, and even gives a grand outing at the Ascot races as a last big splashy fling, and ties up all the stories nicely. In fact, this third film is better than the last one as storytelling. The show’s creator Julian Fellowes cleverly sets this final chapter in 1930, not long after the stock market crash of October 1929 that began the Great Depression but before its effects are yet widely felt. That choice puts the characters in a comfortable bubble, where they are unaware of the economic hardships ahead, although viewers are aware that the old high life is coming to an end. The early 1930 time period allows the audience to enjoy a bit more of the fashions and fun of the Downton Abbey world before the darkness of the 1930s Great Depression really descends on their world.

While there are twists and surprises, some tight spots and difficult moments, enough to give the film some tension, things are generally tied up nicely by the story’s end, leaving the audience satisfied that the characters’ lives, while profoundly changed, will go on, with no need for a sequel.

DOWNTON ABBEY THE GRAND FINALE opens in theaters on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA – Review

Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham, Elizabeth McGovern as the Countess of Grantham and Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Hexham, in DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA, a Focus Features release. Photo Credit: Ben Blackall / © 2022 Focus Features LLC

The saga of the aristocratic Crawley family continues with DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA, the second movie inspired by the hit British historical drama TV series by Julian Fellowes and featuring the same beloved cast. One does not have to have seen the first movie, or even the series, to follow along with the movie’s plot but you will missing out on a lot of the background details and meanings if you haven’t.

The TV show Julian Fellowes (GOSFORD PARK) created mixes history, drama and soap, as a family of English country aristocrats in Yorkshire, and their servants, face the changes of the early twentieth century, a time of major social and economic shifts for the class system and British society. That Downton Abbey’s story line followed both the upstairs and downstairs characters, their lives and loves, as the new century brings big changes, was, and remains, a key part of the series’ success, along with its fine mostly British cast that includes the venerable Maggie Smith as the wisecracking Dowager Countess, Penelope Wilton as her verbal sparring partner Isobel, Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham and Elizabeth McGovern as his American-born wife Cora. Lady Grantham. The series also offers up glorious manor houses, vintage cars, and fabulous 1920s costumes, along with plenty of period charm.

This new Downton film finds the Crawley household celebrating another wedding, of former chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and newly-minted heiress Lucy (Tuppence Middleton). But attention quickly shifts away from the newly-weds, as the family learn of another development: the surprise inheritance of a country estate in the south of France by the Dowager (Maggie Smith), sparking lots of questions about her past – again. While the Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Grantham, Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) and some family members prepare to visit the new estate in France, at the invitation of the Marquis de Montmirail (Jonathan Zaccai), the son of the man leaving the bequest, a movie company has offered a handsome fee for the use of the manor house for a film shoot, for a silent movie period drama starring matinee idol Guy Dexter (Dominic West), an offer too tempting for Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) to refuse.

The second film delivers all the period gorgeousness fans expect and progresses all the characters’ stories nicely, tying up a few more romantic threads along the way. All the favorite characters are back except one, Matthew Goode as Lady Mary’s husband Henry Talbot. In the film, Henry is off doing car stuff, since Goode was not available because he was filming the Godfather mini-series “The Offer.” The characters look little changed from the last film, although Bonneville looks slimmer and more tanned than usual.

While either the movie crew story or the South of France story could have presented plentiful opportunities, doing both feels at first a bit like a misstep. The divided story lines send parts of the family and staff to different directions, to differing corners and split our focus. Yet Julian Fellowes brings them, and the family. back together nicely.

The scenes in France are particularly beautiful, providing a new lavish setting for posh partying, while the movie production story offers a bit of fun, with star-struck servants encountering the reality of stars they idolized on screen plus playful glimpses of silent and early sound film-making. The movie making story makes a nice little reference to Fellowes’ GOSFORD PARK, his film that was a kind of precursor to Downton. New romances and new life possibilities bloom under the lights at home and under the stars abroad, while the family also faces other, less happy changes.

This second movie ties up a lot of stories nicely, and could be a fitting final chapter, but Fellowes also leaves the door open a crack for a third movie, following some new threads or even spin offs of some character’s story lines. Either way, it provides an enjoyable, satisfying experience for fans of the series.

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA opens in theaters on Friday, May 20.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

DOWNTON ABBEY – Review

Elizabeth McGovern stars as Lady Grantham and Hugh Bonneville as Lord Grantham and in DOWNTON ABBEY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Jaap Buitendijk / © 2019 Focus Features, LLC

Fans of the highly-praised British historical TV series will welcome the return of DOWNTON ABBEY but this return to the lavish, high-fashion1920s and the entertaining aristocratic Crawley family, and their equally-entertaining resourceful servants, delivers delights for those who are not familiar with the popular show as well. The movie picks up not too long after the end of the series, as the Crawley family prepares for an overnight visit by the king and queen, a treat that sends everyone, upstairs and down, scrambling to make sure everything is perfect. The royal visit creates a focus to revisit the characters, and once again experience the show’s mix of snappy dialog, colorful personalities, and social commentary in a time of momentous change.

A lot could have gone wrong in translating this beloved British historical series to the big screen but creator/co-writer Julian Fellowes gets everything right. Rather than recapping the whole series in a movie, he just builds on where the series left off, revisiting the memorable characters as they continue their journeys, but adding just enough background to bring newcomers up to speed without slowing things down for long-time Downton Abbey fans.

Julian Fellowes built on ideas he introduced in his film GOSFORD PARK in creating the original DOWNTON ABBEY television show, which aired in the U.S. on PBS. The original series combined elements from earlier BBC class-divide dramas like “Upstairs, Downstairs” with a focus on the enormous social, political and economic changes that Britain experienced in the early 20th century, as the old aristocratic system gave way to a more democratic one, women asserted their rights, Ireland clamored for freedom, and technology and fashions entered a period of dazzling change. But the series spiked these serious changes with the some sparkling, pointed dialog and memorable characters, making it an enjoyable and fascinating journey.

The show followed one aristocratic family, the Crawleys, headed by a minor earl of a country estate and the family’s servants as the household of grand Downton Abbey weathers the tumultuous social and political changes of the early 20th century following World War I. While the family faces some economic challenges as the old aristocratic economic model fades, the story ends in the economic boom of the 1920s, before the Great Depression that followed the 1929 crash.

The Crawley family – and their servants – always were an independent, even prickly, bunch, with sibling rivalries and clashing personalities keeping us amused. The TV series’ story started shortly after the sinking of the Titanic, and follow the upstairs and downstairs residents of Downton Abbey in the daily lives against the backdrop of historic changes, The Earl of Grantham, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), his American heiress wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and their daughters, saw their leisurely lives of fox hunts and formal dances are transformed into a more active, participatory one demanded by new economic realities and costs of running their grand estate. At the same time, there was a family saga of conflicts and change, romance and tragedy. Of course, it is not all about the aristocratic Crawley family but the lives of their servants, anchored by butler Mr Carson (Jim Carter) and head housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), as they all face changing times, with plenty of clashes, romances and heartbreak of their own.

Sharp, clever dialog was always part of the fun of this series,, as well as memorable characters and outstanding story arcs. The series dealt with serious matters like women’s issues, Irish independence, gay issues, and the breaking down of old class barriers, but it also offered a bunch of great characters and a fair dose of clever, often humor-twinged dialog, so it was just fun to watch. Maggie Smith became a fan favorite in particular, with her famous zingers as the family’s matriarch, the sharp tongued Dowager Countess.

The series’ blend of history, social commentary and family drama proved a potent mix that drew in millions of viewers but it did not hurt that this story takes place in the 1910s-1920s, a period filled with some of history’s most gorgeous fashions, plus elegant cars, and opulent mansions. Period sets were posh and the series was filmed in some wonderful British locations, not the least of which is Highclere Castle, the real country estate that plays Downton Abbey in the movie and series.

All that good stuff, and the cast, are back in this movie version. While the series often dealt with serious topics, alternating with indulging in sheer period lushness, the movie keeps things on the lighter side, focusing on giving the audience all the glittering 20’s fashions, stylish roadsters, and posh settings you could want. Still, a few social topics crop up and the beloved characters return to work out those issues and their relationships, just as fans hope.

The film gives just enough background to help newbies catch on, without bogging down the story in too much detail. The preparations for the royal visit creates enough conflict and tension to bring old battles to the fore, while also giving the family and their loyal staff something to rally around, in support of the grand house. And Highclere Castle is still ready for its close-up, as are all the folks in Downton Abbey.

It is not just the amazing Maggie Smith who shines again in this movie version, but the whole returning cast. Back in high style as the Earl and Countess of Grantham are Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, who like her character is an American ex-pat who long has lived in England, Also back are sniping sisters Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), sharp-tongued like her grandma, and milder Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), now finally enjoying some personal happiness in her marriage to an influential aristocrat. As in the series, Lady Mary is often in charge upstairs but the servants run much of the real show.

Returning are Brendon Coyle as manservant Bates and Joanne Froggatt as lady’s maid Anna, whose romance electrified several seasons, and so are the wonderful butler Carson (Jim Carter), now retired, and the complicated, gay Barrow (Robert James-Collier), now butler, who butt heads over the royal visit. Feisty cook Mrs Patmore (Leslie Nicol) and her rebellious assistant Daisy (Sophie McShera) are back to heat up the kitchen, while Branson (Allen Leach), the Irish chauffeur who married a Crawley daughter, still grapples with conflicted feelings about his place in the world. Adding to this rich stew is Imelda Stanton as a Crawley cousin who is a lady-in-waiting to the queen, and who has long-running beef with Smith’s dowager countess. Meanwhile, worthy opponent Penelope Wilton, as in-law Isobel Merton, still trades barbs with the incomparable Smith. You know sparks, and zingers, will fly. All this talented cast shine, as does the film’s writing.

A DOWNTON ABBEY movie was not really needed, as the series was tied up nicely at the end, nor is this any kind of ground-breaking film, but it is a pleasant, entertaining experience, one well worth the time. The return visit is nice for fans, and the movie was perfectly crafted for that purpose, but the film was enjoyable enough that it might draw a few new fans to the old series. Filled with great characters crafted by talented actors, sparkling snappy dialog, a brisk pace and delightful period settings, DOWNTON ABBEY is pure delight for fans of the award-winning series and any audience who enjoys period films. DOWNTON ABBEY opens Friday, Sept. 20, at the Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

THE CHAPERONE – Review

Elizabeth McGovern in THE CHAPERONE. Photo by Karin Catt Courtesy of PBS Distribution

The prospect of a film about the iconic silent film star Louise Brooks was so tantalizing. The star with the sleek black bob and bold gaze was the most forward of the screen’s stars representing women breaking the social conventions in the Roaring ’20s.

THE CHAPERONE is a tale of Louise Brooks at 16,as she is just beginning her path to stardom, which made THE CHAPERONE seem irresistible. Yet, despite a fine cast led by Elizabeth McGovern and young Haley Lu Richardson plus a script by Julian Fellowes. THE CHAPERONE falls short of that promise.

This PBS production reunites “Downton Abbey” writer Julian Fellowes and star Elizabeth McGovern in another period drama. Yet, directed by Michael Engler, in his first theatrical release after a long career in television, THE CHAPERONE feels like a TV movie. Despite nice locations and pretty costumes, it feels smaller and limited, and too often the dialog becomes flat, offering simplified social commentary from a modern view, a flaw often found in TV dramas. To their credit, the cast get all they can out of the script, co-written by Fellowes and Engler, and at times the film works. It is not so much a bad film as an uneven one, falling short of its dazzling promise.

After seeing 16-year-old Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) perform a modern dance piece as part of a fundraiser in Topeka, Kansas, society matron Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern) volunteers to accompany her to New York, after overhearing Louise’s mother Myra (Victoria Hill) talking about her trouble finding a chaperone. Talented Louise has been accepted as a student at the cutting-edge Denishaw modern dance school in New York. The ambitious, rebellious Kansas-born teen dreams of being an Isadora Duncan-style dancer but she is also chaffing to escape her conventional hometown Wichita.

Norma Carlisle has her own reasons for wanting to travel to New York. Something has gone wrong in her marriage to her successful lawyer husband (Campbell Scott), which we learn about later in flashbacks, and despite the material comfort of her life, she is searching for a change.

As the title suggests, THE CHAPERONE isn’t really about the star-to-be Louise Brooks but about the fictional chaperone character. Rather than the young star’s tale told through the chaperone’s eyes, we get the chaperone’s story with the young star as a supporting character. It is the 60-ish Norma who goes on a journey of change, while the confident young Louise does not change. Norma is interested in theater and art and recoils in horror when a socialite friend tells her she is joining the KKK. But she’s also a supporter of Prohibition and very prim and proper, insisting that Louise behave like a lady. On one level, it is a midlife crisis type of tale but scriptwriter Julian Fellowes also loads the story down with an array of social issues, including contemporary one.

The cast also includes Bythe Danner, in a remarkable single scene that is an emotional pivot point for McGovern’s character. In well-drawn portrayals, Miranda Otto and Robert Fairchild play dance innovators Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn, who founded and run the Denishawn dance studio.

Geza Rohrig, the actor who was so good in SON OF SAUL, plays a handyman at the orphanage where McGovern’s chaperone goes seeking answers about her birth parents, and a romance story blooms between. Despite the script’s problems, the cast work hard to rise above it, and occasionally succeed. Haley Lu Richardson is a young actress with a lot of promise, but seems a bit miscast as Louise Brooks. She does not look much like Brooks but effectively channels her in the dance sequences and captures some of her fire and defiant style in other scenes. A particularly strong example is a scene where Louise sneaks out to a speakeasy. When confronted, Louise is not embarrassed or apologetic but breaths in Norma’s face, saying “That’s gin” with a defiantly grin.

Sadly, such moments of fire are too rare. The film follows the chaperone and her charge in New York, building up a relationship between the fiery future star and the chaperone who is increasingly questioning her own life choices. But then, frustratingly, the film skips over all of Louise Brooks film career, and reunites them years later in Wichita after Brooks returns home, the second half of a framing device that opens the film.

It is not a bad film so much as a disappointing one. Mostly it whets the appetite for a film that is really about Louise Brooks. THE CHAPERONE opens Friday, Apr. 12,at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

SHOWING ROOTS starring Maggie Grace Arrives on DVD June 20th


Return to the 1970s when the inspirational drama SHOWING ROOTS, starring Maggie Grace and Uzo Aduba, arrives on DVD at Walmart on June 20 from Lionsgate.


Return to the 1970s when the inspirational drama Showing Roots arrives on DVD at Walmart on June 20 from Lionsgate. The film tells the story of two women who cross racial boundaries to form a friendship and fight against inequality in their small town. Maggie Grace and Uzo Aduba lead an all-star cast that includes Adam Brody, Elizabeth McGovern, and Cicely Tyson.From director Michael Wilson (The Trip to Bountiful), the Showing Roots DVD includes a behind-the-scenes featurette and will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.98.


In 1977, as the miniseries “Roots” hits the airwaves, two women are inspired to try and integrate their small Southern town. In a place where there are still “right” and “wrong” sides of the tracks, these two young women — one white, one black — forge an unlikely friendship that sparks a journey of independence and self-discovery, and ultimately results in the creation of the perfect hairdo. Stars Maggie Grace, Uzo Aduba, Elizabeth McGovern, Adam Brody, Cicely Tyson.


DVD/DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES

“Behind the Scenes of Showing Roots” Featurette

 
CAST

Maggie Grace              Taken, Lockout

Uzo Aduba                               TV’s “Orange Is the New Black,” American Pastoral

Adam Brody                             TV’s “The O.C.,” Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Elizabeth McGovern                TV’s “Downton Abbey,” Kick-Ass

Cicely Tyson                            TV’s “How to Get Away with Murder,” The Help

 

 

SAVE THE DATE And CHEERFUL WEATHER FOR A WEDDING SundanceNOW Giveaway

The SundanceNOW channel has released two new films, and we are giving away a chance to view them for free! SAVE THE DATE and CHEERFUL WEATHER FOR A WEDDING are now available to watch now on SundanceNOW.

SAVE THE DATE

Starring:
Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Mark Webber, Geoffrey Arend
Synopsis:
After an ill-timed and very public marriage proposal, fiercely independent Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) breaks up with her overeager boyfriend Kevin (Geoffrey Arend). Sarah turns to her sister Beth (Alison Brie) for support, but Beth is too busy obsessing over the details of her own wedding to Kevin’s bandmate, Andrew (Martin Starr). When Sarah suddenly finds herself caught up in an intense rebound romance with the adorable Jonathan (Mark Webber), she is forced to examine her own fears of commitment and vulnerability. With honesty, heart, and humor, all five struggle with the trials, happiness, and pain of modern love. In the end Sarah must decide – is it better to stay safely single or to risk it all on love?
Led by rising stars Alison Brie (COMMUNITY, MAD MEN) and Lizzy Caplan (BACHELORETTE, PARTY DOWN), Sundance Film Festival hit SAVE
CHEERFUL WEATHER FOR A WEDDING

Starring:

Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway, Elizabeth McGovern
Synopsis:
In this lighthearted and steamy romantic comedy, bride-to-be Dolly (Felicity Jones) must choose between her devoted fiancee and the former lover she wants to seduce her.
Led by rising stars Alison Brie (COMMUNITY, MAD MEN) and Lizzy Caplan (BACHELORETTE, PARTY DOWN), Sundance Film Festival hit SAVE THE DATE is a hilarious and sincere story about the familial and romantic bonds that form us all.
_____________________________________________________________________________
OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE A US RESIDENT. 

2. SEND YOUR FULL NAME (first and last) AND EMAIL ADDRESS, ALONG WITH YOUR ANSWER TO THE QUESTION LISTED BELOW TO MELISSA@WEAREMOVIEGEEKS.COM.

3. Which actor or actress  from SAVE THE DATE or CHEERFUL WEATHER FOR A WEDDING are you excited to see the most (in their role) and why?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PRIZES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED

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Both films are available on SundanceNOW at the links below.
Save The Date
Cheerful Weather For The Wedding

About SundanceNOW:

SundanceNOW, the digital sister to Sundance Selects, is an online destination where independent film fans can download, watch instantly and discuss a broad range of independent films from around the globe.  Offering the option to stream, download to own and download to rent, SundanceNOW provides audiences in search of independent films with an extensive selection covering all genres, including both American and foreign films. SundanceNOW operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. SundanceNOW is a subsidiary of AMC Networks, Inc.
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