Mary Reilly (1996)

Directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, George Cole, Kathy Staff, Glenn Close, Bronagh Gallagher, Michael Sheen, Michael Gambon, Linda Bassett, Ciarán Hinds, Henry Goodman. [R]

Telling the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde through the eyes of his compliant maid is an interesting idea, but interest fades fast as the ponderous story oozes along. Some instances of evocative art direction and atmosphere help stave off the doldrums for a while, but the production has a tendency to be both overwrought and immobile, and no one gives in to the theatricality of the story concept—Close stifles the flamboyance of the madam she plays with pinched mannerisms, and until the final act, Malkovich’s morose interpretation of Mr. Hyde so closely resembles the physicality and modulations of Dr. Jekyll that it’s hard to believe no one immediately realized they were one and the same. As for the titular housekeeper, Roberts strives for tentative trembling but looks completely out of her depths amid the dour moodiness and period trappings, and her Irish accent is set on a dimmer switch, fluctuating haphazardly even in the middle of her lines. She’s so awful, in fact, it was widely believed at the time that after this flop and the string of losers that preceded it, her career was pretty much over…until she returned to her rom-com bread-and-butter the next year with a profitable comeback, My Best Friend’s Wedding. Sheen’s first film role (but second to be released to theaters).

35/100