[Movie Review] “Mr Pip” suffers from strange directorial choices

Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? If you’ve read the book and have the time.

Should you watch this for free? If you’ve read the book.

Secret ending? No.

Running time: 115 minutes (~2 hours)

“Mr Pip” is the film adaptation of the novel “Mister Pip.” It follows the unlikely bond between a teacher and a student, and how one book changes both their lives. It stars Hugh Laurie (Tom Watts), Xzannjah (Matilda Naimo), Healesville Joel (Dolores Naimo), and Eka Darville (Pip).

“Mr Pip” is a fairly intense movie, even if its opening scenes don’t quite give that impression. You’ll have to go in with expectation  that it’s not a feel-good movie, but one that requires much reflection and thought post viewing. With that in mind, however, you’ll have a greater appreciation of the film and the message that it tries to send.

Highlights

The sudden and brutal atrocities committed by the military regime are in stark contrast to the pleasant, idyllic and simple lifestyles of the protagonists. They come as a shock, especially with the intense (but implied, none of it is shown on screen) violence that those scenes bring about.

The teaching of Great Expectations to the class creates an odd sort of bond between Mr Watts, Matilda and the rest of the students, but it’s a touching bond between damaged souls. The most heartwarming moments come in the Act Two climax, where the strength of the bond between Mr Watts and his students are put to the test.

Act Three opens with an incident that comes virtually out of the blue, although it’s not unwarranted or without setup. This surprising twist marks a turning point for the movie, where it becomes much darker and more serious. It reinforces the horrors of war and civil strife, and becomes the motivation for the remainder of the film.

Letdowns

The film shuffles, no, plods to its conclusion, placing far too many scenes of quiet contemplation and picturesque landscapes throughout the movie. It’s bad enough that the events unfold so slowly, but the multiple scenes of silence exacerbate an already sleepy pace. Is it necessary to have yet another slow pan of someone reading/looking at a prop?

It was a poor choice to have so many actors speak English when it wasn’t their first language. The words are hard to make out, detracting from your enjoyment of the movie and breaking your immersion into the world of the film. There were some portions where the cast were speaking their mother tongue and English subtitles were provided, and ironically those were far more ready to understand than them actually speaking English. If so, why couldn’t they just have let the characters speak in their native language and subtitle it?

As part of the integration/intertextuality of Great Expectations, and to show the impact of the book on Matilda, there are the occasional seconds of Matilda fantasizing that she’s in the Victorian era of Charles Dickens. It’s executed in a very strange manner where everyone wears loud and clashing clothes, and feels like the movie is bludgeoning you over the head with idea that Great Expectations is a critical element in the movie, lest your forget that fact five minutes later.

“Mr Pip” starts off with a great concept and a thoughtful exploration of the impact that a teacher had on his student, but is marred by odd directorial choices and very ponderous execution.