The Dressmaker
Starring: Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth
Directed by: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Rated: R
As my mom and I walked in to a showing of The Dressmaker last weekend, we were excited. Come on, Kate Winslet designing high fashion couture gowns with a little mystery and Liam Hemsworth thrown in? You know we had to check this out. For the next two hours, we sat down and watched as every genre of film that has ever existed unfolded before our eyes at a pace that couldn't catch its breath. We walked out dizzy, disappointed and frankly, a little depressed. So why didn't it work?
Dressmaker Myrtle Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to her rural hometown Dungatar where she was accused of murder as a child. She comes back to find out the truth about her childhood, reconcile with her mother, and seek revenge on the people who wronged her.
The only actors you need to know about inThe Dressmaker are Kate Winslet and Judy Davis. Yes, there are other actors in the movie, but their characters are such shallow caricatures they are not worth talking about. The always wonderful Kate Winslet relies on her demeanor as Myrtle Dunnage. She plays her with a determined presence that focuses more on actions rather than lines. Judy Davis is the stand out of the cast as Molly, Myrtle's mother. She steals every scene she's in with her eccentric behavior.
Before I go any further in this review, its worth noting that The Dressmaker contains fabulous cinematography. From the first scene of Kate Winslet in a Dior inspired number set against the barren Australian outback, we know we're in for a visual thrill ride. It was a visually striking and intriguing move to contrast couture fashion with the Australian desert. Cinematographer Donald McAlpine takes advantage of every shot as the true MVP of this movie. For a time, you can forget about the film's persistent flaws in favor of its lush cinematography. Sadly, the flaws are too great to overcome.
The main problem withThe Dressmaker is the tone. First it's a mystery, then a quirky comedy, then a romance, then a melodrama, then a revenge western? I don't mind if a movie mixes genres. There are some great films that do that. However,The Dressmaker lost its identity while trying to find one. Mystery, romance, slapstick comedy, western, film noir, costume drama: this movie is everything and nothing.
The Dressmaker looks stylish, but upon closer inspection you'll find it's a hot mess of tonal shifts and shallow characters.
My Rating: 4/10