5/10
The Outcome is Strange
14 May 2014
If you are still mourning over Dan Stevens dying in Downton Abbey, here is a picture with the blond-haired, dreamy eyed Englishman. However, don't expect much when it comes to the story, except that Dan comes across pretty much the same as Matthew Crawley.

Where do I begin? Hum, well, it's a period movie, apparently about a factual event. Dominic Cooper plays A. J. Munnings, a talented artist who went onto to be a famous English painter. Set on the Cornwall coast in England, it's a story of a group of artists who do nothing but paint. Dan Stevens, who plays Gilbert Evans, is not an artist, but a friend of A.J. and in the military.

The story is a strange love triangle. Enter Florence Carter Wood, another young wannabe artist. She arrives in Cornwall to be with her brother and meets both A.J. and Gilbert. Gilbert quickly falls in love with her, but A.J. wins the spoils instead. However, the entire affair is nonsensical. Florence, who comes across as a pretty, young aristocratic woman, finds A.J. fascinating because of his talent. However, he has a dark side wherein he is moody, belligerent, and drinks too much. Even though his personality is well revealed before the wedding, she for some odd reason proceeds with the marriage as if she is helpless to do so otherwise. Of course, her decision reaps an unhappy life, while Gilbert broods over his loss of his true love.

Since I don't want to give the "spoils" away on this plot, I'll keep my remaining comments minimal regarding the final outcome. The location on the Cornwall coast has spectacular scenery. There are a few unnecessary scenes of total frontal female nudity, which added absolutely no value to the story whatsoever. (Three of these individuals in Summer in February also starred in the 2008 BBC Sense & Sensibility - Dominic Cooper, who played Willoughby; Dan Stevens, who played Edward Ferrars; and Hattie Morahan, who played Elinor.) Unfortunately, I cannot come away with anything lasting about this movie. Though well acted, the story itself turned out to be a melodramatic affair that made no sense to me whatsoever. The only pleasure in it was seeing Dan Stevens once again in a familiar period piece.
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