You have to work to follow the narrative but Leigh's interest isn't on what he did when. It's all about how and why he paints.

Imaginative and richly detailed 19th century period biopic on the last 25 years of the revered English artist Joseph Mallord William Turner.

I was mesmerized by Mr. Turner, the man and the movie. Though the running time is 150 minutes, I would happily have stayed for another hour.

[Leigh and] cinematographer Dick Pope beautifully recreate the fog-smeared landscapes and hazy colors of Turner's paintings, and the effect is like watching J.M.W. Turner stomp and growl and sketch his way through the contours of his own imagination.

...a tremendous and problematic movie that ultimately rings with intelligence, sadness and a kind of validating generosity toward human foible.

Writer-director Mike Leigh renders an intimately detailed portrait of the artist and Timothy Spall portrays Mr. Turner in brilliant strokes.

Beautifully shot and acted, it's one of Leigh's more enjoyable and accessible recent films, one that will appeal to more than the arthouse crowd normally drawn to his films.

Like it's subject, the film has an irascible charm. Leigh strips away the myth of the vaunted artist; the highly evolved being with special knowledge. He also avoids the clichés that come with portraying an artist of Turner's stature.

Unlike a conventional biopic like "The Imitation Game" that attempts to draw clear cause-and-effect between one event and the next, Leigh refuses to explain or judge his subject. The "Mr." in title suggests the respectful distance he keeps.

[Leigh's] refracted camera lens casts a light on the period as gorgeous and evocative -- and occasionally as repellent -- as the light laid down on Turner's grand canvasses.

The lack of a normal story structure will baffle and even bore some viewers. But I highly recommend trying it. If you can tap into its vibe, it's amazing.

Some of Dick Pope's unique shots are beautiful enough to elicit awe and admiration, which makes this picture a perfect match between subject matter (artist) and presentation (artful).

Turner's great oils and watercolors... seem indistinct at first but consist of a wealth of details that eventually merge into a clear picture. Leigh's movie does the same, building a full portrait from a series of vignettes.

Leigh is as interested as Turner in the elusive, the evocative and the essential.

Leigh strings together scenes that are alternately funny, sad, bitter and baffling, sometimes all at the same time.

Portrait of the artist as a troll

Mr. Turner, for better or worse, is a film that stays with you.

Anyone who knows Leigh's method wouldn't be surprised that Mr. Turner is more of an intuitive collage than a faithful dramatization of reality. It's a fascinating, mostly plotless examination of one man's tortured artistic process.

Mike Leigh's biopic is so richly detailed that it feels like a documentary. Spall goes for broke in the outsize title role.

Portrait of the artist: He grunts, he groans, he gropes.