“Maudie,” based on the true story of a Canadian folk artist, boasts a powerful, Oscar-worthy performance by Sally Hawkins in the title role, and it’s set in a beautifully scenic corner of Nova Scotia.
For those two assets, it’s worth seeing. But as a love story it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
Hawkins brings Maude Dowley Lewis, an arthritic folk artist with a can-do spirit, to vivid life in the seemingly effortless way that the talented British actress has with well-drawn roles. Her performance as Poppy in 2008’s “Happy-Go-Lucky” was a revelation, and even playing second fiddle to Cate Blanchett in “Blue Jasmine,” Hawkins made an indelible impression. She is easily one of the best actresses working today, and also perhaps one of the most under-rated.
The film opens with the spirited but fragile Maudie living with a stern, disapproving aunt. Out of a blend of desperation, determination and rebellion, she takes a job as a housekeeper for taciturn fish peddler Everett (Ethan Hawke), who lives in a small ramshackle house in a remote fishing village. At first, this new situation seems no better: Lacking even the remotest social graces, the reclusive Everett is a nasty cuss. He orders Maudie around and tells her that his dogs and chickens are higher on his pecking order than she is. He hits her.
And it’s in the character of Everett that the film — directed by Irish filmmaker Aisling Walsh (“Fingersmith”) — falters. Hawke is woefully miscast; he’s a terrific actor, but he is simply not believable in the role of a crusty Canadian fishmonger. Hawke seems unable to transcend a contemporary quality to play a cruel, tight-lipped character living in the 1940s and ’50s.
Given his often voluble roles, it’s clear why he might have relished the challenge of playing such a quiet and surly figure. But his character’s unrelieved nastiness makes the eventual romance with Maudie even harder to buy. Walsh intends their growing love to touch our hearts and loosen our tear ducts, but it’s hard to muster warm feelings for a man of few words who hits a woman and treats her like a farm animal.
We are meant to believe that they come to understand one another and affection takes hold. They eventually marry, at her behest. The film’s tagline, “Without love, there is no purpose,” hardly seems to capture the mood and theme of the story, and gives short shrift to the more riveting tale of a woman finding her creative direction.
Maudie’s artistic passion and unflagging cheerfulness, despite her worsening rheumatoid arthritis, will resonate with viewers, especially as exquisitely portrayed by the estimable Hawkins. Walsh’s deliberate pacing allows the viewer to get to know the character over the languid course of the film, and Hawkins’ nuanced performance is marked by emotional depth, as well as a convincing physicality. Maudie’s creative nature, and her colorful work, endears her to those in the community, and over time, draws admirers far from the shores of her simple home.
Filmed mostly in Newfoundland and Labrador, the cinematography by Guy Godfree (Sundance 2016 hit “Lovesong”) deftly captures the sea-swept beauty and haunting solitude of Maudie and Everett’s existence. The play of light along the water’s shore leaves a lasting impression. The script, however, spent a decade in development, and perhaps writer Sherry White’s original draft was re-tooled to play up a sentimental love story over the narrative of a women coping with disability as she becomes one of Canada’s most acclaimed folk artists.
Hers is an inherently intriguing tale, as well as a quintessential story of overcoming adversity. The film did not need to shift focus from that to a generic romance. Had the focus had remained trained on Maudie working with her disability to become an artist, rather than winning an abusive man’s heart, the results would have been significantly more interesting.
“Maudie” depicts her evolution as an artist, painting vibrant imagery — often flowers and scenes of nature — on unconventional surfaces, sometimes wherever a bare wall presents itself. A New York woman vacationing in Canada is drawn to Maudie’s vivid artwork and soon others begin to buy her art. Her work eventually is featured in the White House.
The story of a woman dismissed by those around her who asserts herself through art testifies to the indomitable power of creativity. Why turn that compelling story into a predictable romance?
A Dozen Movies Influenced by 'The Dirty Dozen' as Film Turns 50 (Photos)
The mission is simple: Take 12 dangerous men rotting in prison cells, give them guns, throw them out of a plane, and have them kill Nazis. Inspired by a real life, rule-breaking demolition unit and E.M. Nathanson’s novel, Robert Aldrich’s “The Dirty Dozen” has inspired many movies about grizzled criminals earning a chance at redemption and ragtag teams embarking on deadly black ops missions. In honor of its 50th anniversary, here are major movies the iconic title has inspired:
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Made by famed Western auteur Sam Peckinpah, “The Wild Bunch,” features a band of outlaws who are dragged into a mission from a violent Mexican general to steal weapons from the U.S. Army. Considered one of the greatest works in Western cinema and Peckinpah’s filmography, the film was also part of a group of late 60s films like “Night of the Living Dead” that pushed the boundaries of cinematic violence.
Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
This war comedy, starring Clint Eastwood, Don Rickles and "Dirty Dozen" alumni Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas, blends “The Dirty Dozen” with “The Italian Job” in a story about a WWII platoon that decides to ditch their selfish captain and steal millions of dollars in Nazi gold from a vault behind enemy lines. The film has been sold on DVD by Warner Bros. with “The Dirty Dozen” as a double feature package.
The Longest Yard (1974)
Another film made by Robert Aldrich, “The Longest Yard,” is regarded as the sports cousin of “The Dirty Dozen.” Disgraced NFL quarterback Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds) gets sentenced to 18 months in prison and is asked to organize the prisoners into a football team that can take on the prison guards’ semi-pro team as a warm-up game. Much like the Dirty Dozen, the convicts overcome their demons and come together as a unit, turning the “warm-up game” into a violent battle between guard and prisoner.
Silmido (2003)
The South Korean equivalent of “The Dirty Dozen,” “Silmido” is based on the true story of Unit 684, a black ops team of death row and life sentence inmates tasked with assassinating North Korea’s leader, Kim Il-sung, in exchange for their freedom. The full details of 684’s activities were not released by the Korean government until 2006, meaning director Kang Woo-suk and writer Kim Hie-jae had to fill in the blanks on their own.
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Critics immediately connected Quentin Tarantino’s “Basterds” to “The Dirty Dozen,” as both feature teams that are not the least bit by-the-book in their methods killing Germans in brutal ways. Tarantino has even described the original concept that inspired him to make this film as a “Dirty Dozen idea” and notes that the Nazis’ gruesome fate in his film’s climax is similar to the one the Dozen plan for the Wehrmacht officers.
The Expendables (2010)
It's another movie that immediately drew comparisons to “Dirty Dozen,” with every trope from '80s action films thrown in. “The Expendables” features a team of aging mercenaries played by a cast of aging action stars, who are hired by the CIA to kill a rogue agent in a covert mission so the feds can avoid bad press.
The Avengers (2012)
“The Dirty Dozen” has also influenced several of this decade’s comic book films, including Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers.” That might seem strange considering the Avengers are far more noble than the Dozen, but Whedon says it was "the first movie I referenced when Marvel asked me what I'd do if they gave me the [Avengers] script.” He said that's because “The Dirty Dozen,” like “Avengers,” spends much more time showing the team coming together than it does showing them fighting the bad guys.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
With that in mind, it should not be surprising that James Gunn also took a page from “Dirty Dozen” when making “Guardians of the Galaxy,” as that film too spends most of its time on the Guardians bonding as a evil-fighting team than it does showing them fight evil. Gunn has voiced his love for “The Dirty Dozen” in interviews, saying he is “very attracted to guys of an amoral character who find something inside themselves that is good” in an interview with Birth.Movies.Death.
“Blackhat” doesn’t involve a team, but it does take the concept of “Dirty Dozen” and turn it into a solo mission, as Chris Hemsworth plays an incarcerated hacker who is offered freedom in exchange for tracking down another hacker responsible for blowing up a nuclear plant.
Suicide Squad (2016)
Duh. “Suicide Squad” borrows the plot of “Dirty Dozen” almost wholesale, but with DC super villains instead of normal prisoners. Director David Ayer has even repeatedly described it as “Dirty Dozen with supervillains.”
Rogue One (2016)
“The Dirty Dozen” has even been taken to a galaxy far, far away with the first “Star Wars” anthology film, as director Gareth Edwards tells the story of the ragtag unit of Rebel officers, mercenary pilots, rogue fighters, and force sensitives that gave their lives to get the Death Star plans in Princess Leia’s hands. As you can see, the “Dirty Dozen” formula has been taken to many places, but there’s one place still left to go…
Hell Bent (Coming Soon)
…and that place is Hell. Last year, it was announced that Paramount is developing a film with director Corin Hardy about a team of murdered mercenaries who are given a mission from beyond the grave to enter the Infernal Pits to assassinate Satan himself. Could the reward be divine salvation?
From ”The Wild Bunch“ to ”Suicide Squad,“ iconic WWII film has made its mark on cinema
The mission is simple: Take 12 dangerous men rotting in prison cells, give them guns, throw them out of a plane, and have them kill Nazis. Inspired by a real life, rule-breaking demolition unit and E.M. Nathanson’s novel, Robert Aldrich’s “The Dirty Dozen” has inspired many movies about grizzled criminals earning a chance at redemption and ragtag teams embarking on deadly black ops missions. In honor of its 50th anniversary, here are major movies the iconic title has inspired:
