The Professor and the Madman (2019)
Stars: Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Natalie Dormer
Runtime: 124 minutes
Synopsis: Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 4/10
Costumes/Makeup: 5/10
Editing: 3/10
Cinematography: 4/10
Score/Soundtrack: 4/10
Verdict: Well, I'd rather read the dictionary than sit through this movie a second time.
"The Professor and the Madman" is centered around the true story of an asylum patient's contribution to the first edition of the Oxford Dictionary. And boy was it a snooze fest.
Directed by Farhad Safinia, most famous for writing my favorite movie directed by Mel Gibson, "Apocalypto", the film stars Gibson alongside Sean Penn and Natalie Dormer, who all deliver decent performances despite not being given the best material to work with.
This film is a perfect example of why an interesting story does not automatically result in a good movie. Because yes, on paper and when you read the synopsis, the story is truly one that is worth telling and worth knowing about. The way it was told, on the other hand, never was able to grab me in any way and lost my interest very early on without ever gaining it back.
The movie, ironically, looked the complete opposite of a dictionary, known for being straight to the point and organized. Instead, it kind of felt like a TV movie and weirdly opted to tell the story of both men separately and in a very chaotic way without it ever fully converging to become one (they barely interact at all). The movie was also extremely slow-paced and had me checking my watch on multiple occasions.
"The Professor and the Madman" was ultimately a disappointment, to say the least. There's an interesting story to be told hidden somewhere in it, but the film's execution never does it justice. Far from it.
FINAL GRADE: 4/10
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