The true story of the woman who created some of the most beloved characters in children's literature comes to the screen in this drama leavened with elements of comedy and romance. Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger) is a imaginative but gently eccentric woman living in the socially and intellectually confining circumstances of Victorian England. Potter's wealthy parents are eager for her to marry a successful man and settle down, but she has ideas of her own, and has been writing and illustrating
a series of stories for children centered around a character she calls Peter Rabbit. Potter's efforts to find a publisher for her stories prove difficult, but in time she finds a firm who agrees to give her book a chance, and Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor) is put in charge of the project. While Warne is new to the publishing game, he believes Potter has great talent and potential, and throws himself into the work with enthusiasm. A strong personal bond grows between Potter and Warne, and in time he asks her to marry him; however, Beatrix's parents do not approve of Norman, and she is forced to choose between her mother and father and the man she loves. Norman's sister Mille (Emily Watson) urges Beatrix to follow her heart, and she accepts Norman's proposal, but fate has other plans. Miss Potter was directed by Chris Noonan, who created an international sensation with his first feature film, Babe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
One of those films that commits few egregious errors, but scales few real heights. There is nothing either terribly wrong or keenly right about it. It's tidy, I suppose.
If the source material is soft, the film then takes another punch with the casting of Renée Zellweger in the title role. She overflows with tics and twitches that make the author seem vaguely deranged.
The movie is made to measure for mothers, aunts and grandmothers who would share Potter's books, such as "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," with tikes of any generation.
While it cannot sustain the fairytale enchantment of something like Finding Neverland, Miss Potter is, nonetheless, a worthy and sweet, middle-of-the-road biopic.
There's nothing inherently wrong with MISS POTTER. It's just a throwback to the biopics of the 1930s and 40s and in some ways it may seem progressive to contemporary audiences.
Portraying a real-life hero can be a tough assignment. But Zellweger breezes through the role, flashing her puckish grin, talking in her soft, breathy voice and giving very human face to one of the most beloved figures of English letters.
For fans of Potter's work, "Miss Potter" is indispensable. But even viewers with the haziest memories of those unique little books will enjoy spending 90 minutes inside her idyllic world.
A film of no little charm, Chris Noonan's Miss Potter never quite gets out of 'Biopic Basic' mode despite occasional murmurings of a desire to be something more.
Charming drama about children's author Beatrice Potter's life. An intelligent child who has great talent for drawing and writing about creatures. She becomes a successful author in a stuffy Victorian England. She is secretly engaged to her editor and first love who becomes ill. She gains independence through her
writing. Delightful family movie. Great cast and story.
June 24, 2007
Candy Rose
Super Reviewer
Beatrix Potter! Yay! Five stars Renée Zellweger, no stars, They must've cast around for a good actress and then when no one called . . . Read the Potter stories and forget this borat. How long? How long? How long can Zellweger get acting jobs? Freakin A unbelievable . . .
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