There is always something creepy about John Malkovich, and he exploits his creepiness to the hilt in this film. Too bad somebody didn't tell him that he's supposed to be an Engish creep, because he maintains his American accent throughout. Now and then he seems to remember that the film is set in London and makes a pathetic attempt at an accent that sounds more US upper class than British. Ditto for Julia Roberts: American accent throughout, although she occasionally remembers that she's supposed to be Irish and takes a stab at an Irish lilt. Maybe the production was too broke to hire diction coaches? Who knows? The misplaced accents might be overlooked if it were an interesting film. However, it creeps along at a snails pace and is relentlessly dreary to boot. Come to think of it, maybe this was atmospherics, the result of an attempt to create a somber mood consistent with the subject matter. If so, it was a success in spades, although it stretched credibility as far as it could go. Doesn't the sun ever shine in London? Are people always shivering when they step outside? The Jekyll-Hyde story has been filmed many times. It is always a challenge to decide how to make up the lead actor for the Mr. Hyde scenes. In this film, they keep it simple: John Malkovich plays Jekyll with salt and pepper hair and a Van Dyke; when he plays Hyde, his hair has a henna tint and he is clean shaven. This got me to thinking: what are we to assume that the character does when he goes from Hyde to Jekyll? Put on false whiskers, maybe? Stop to take the henna out of his hair? Again, who knows? If you feel you must watch this film, I recommend doing so around 11 at night. It would make an excellent cure for insomnia. 6/10
Review of Mary Reilly
