• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • FMTV
  • Socials
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • TRENDING TOPICS:
  • Star Wars
  • Marvel
  • DC
  • Physical Media
  • Write for Us

Movie Review – Blithe Spirit (2020)

January 10, 2021 by Tom Beasley

Blithe Spirit, 2020.

Directed by Edward Hall.
Starring Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Judi Dench, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Emilia Fox.

SYNOPSIS:

A struggling crime novelist experiments with a séance in search of inspiration, only to unwittingly summon the ghost of his deceased ex-wife.

Writer’s block is a very real problem. Certainly, anyone of a creative persuasion who has struggled with a blank page in front of them will recognise the way in which 1930s-set farce Blithe Spirit introduces Dan Stevens’s crime novelist Charles Condomine – only able to hammer the word “HELP” into his typewriter. Perhaps less obvious is his plan to solve the issue. To giggles of derision from his wife Ruth (Isla Fisher) and their friends, he hires spiritual medium Madame Arcati (Judi Dench) to conduct a séance, hoping her tricks of the trade will inspire him to tell a supernaturally-inflected tale.

What follows is a frothy and chaotic farce, adapted from the Noël Coward play of the same name. The séance appears to fail, until Charles receives a visit from his late ex-wife and long-term muse Elvira (Leslie Mann). Nobody else can see her, and Elvira seems intent on winning her husband back by wrecking his new life – and helping him write another literary winner at the same time.

There’s no denying that director Edward Hall is having the time of his life here, emerging from a lengthy theatre career and some TV work with his first theatrical feature – albeit one arriving digitally via Sky Cinema after its multiplex release was delayed last year. He keeps the tone light and the action moving, refusing to simply allow the movie to sink into the inherent limitations of its stage-bound predecessor. The vivid colours and stark lighting of Ed Wilde’s lensing lends the movie a fantastical feel which perfectly suits the spooks and silliness of the plot.

So with all of that said, why is the movie so unsatisfying? The fault certainly doesn’t lie with the performers. Stevens gives his best Rowan Atkinson homage, while Leslie Mann vamps up a storm and Fisher knows exactly when to crank up the dial on her hysteria. Judi Dench is underused in what is ostensibly one of the showier roles, with Madame Arcati largely playing second fiddle to the life and death love triangle. She’s sadly given little to do outside of speaking in tongues and espousing supernatural nonsense with an admirably straight face.

The issue largely comes down to the script, which simply isn’t sharp or witty enough. Nick Moorcroft, one of three credited writers, has previous credits including Fisherman’s Friends, Finding Your Feet and St. Trinian’s. His stock in trade is undemanding and cuddly British fare, which is often very entertaining. Sadly, Blithe Spirit calls for a bit more edge and a willingness to push the story’s darkness. Even when the stakes get higher and lives are threatened, the movie never feels dangerous enough.

Ultimately, the very lightness and froth that initially makes Blithe Spirit such an enjoyable experience eventually leads it to peter out into almost nothing. With a keener blade and a more incisive script, it could have overcome the cartoonish poshness of its milieu to become something with a bite capable of appealing beyond the midweek tea and biscuits crowd. So while this take on Blithe Spirit remains an enjoyable and silly ghost train ride, it ultimately evaporates in a haze of deeply forgettable ectoplasm.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist and wrestling fan. Follow him on Twitter via @TomJBeasley for movie opinions, wrestling stuff and puns.

 

FacebookTwitterFlipboardRedditPinterestWhatsApp

Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Tom Beasley Tagged With: Blithe Spirit, Dan Stevens, Edward Hall, Emilia Fox, Isla Fisher, Judi Dench, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Leslie Mann, Noel Coward

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Ten Underrated Action Movies That Deserve More Love

When Movie Artwork Was Great

Essential Cult 80s Films You May Have Missed

Robin of Sherwood: Still the quintessential take on the Robin Hood legend

Great Movies Guaranteed To Creep You Out

The Most Shocking Movies of the 1970s

Tom Cruise vs. Keanu Reeves: Who will be 2023’s King of Action?

PM Entertainment and the Art of Rip-offs With Razzmatazz

13 Obscure Horror Movies You Need to See

10 Essential Forgotten 90s Thrillers

FEATURED POSTS:

Cannon’s Avengers: What If… Cannon Films Did the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The Most Overlooked Horror Movies of the 1990s

The Must-See Horror Movies From Every Decade

Trending Now

  1. 2023 Sundance Film Festival Review – Divinity
  2. Downfall of Justin Roiland: Creator removed from Rick & Morty, Solar Opposites and more
  3. Syfy shares the first 5 minutes of sci-fi series The Ark
  4. Movie Review – Fear (2023)
  5. Video Review – Infinity Pool is the first WTF movie experience of 2023
  6. Movie Review – Life Upside Down (2023)
  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • FMTV
  • Socials
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© 2009-2022 Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.