- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
-
3 out of 5
Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger) didn't just write and illustrate world-famous children's books; she was a proto-feminist - making a fortune in a man's world - and an early environmentalist - saving her beloved Lake District from property development. That's the spin of Babe director Chris Noonan's heart-warming but overly sentimental costume drama, in which Zellweger gurns a lot through her portrayal of the creative Victorian free spirit. What makes the film work is Ewan McGregor's effortless charm as the timid publisher who shares her vision of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and becomes her first romance in the bestselling process, and a sparkling Emily Watson as his spinster sister, who eventually befriends Beatrix. Directed in picture-postcard style, with occasional flashes of cartoon animation depicting Potter's creations and inner emotions, this is a sweet and lightweight treat.
Plot Summary
Biographical period drama starring Renée Zellweger as Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter and Ewan McGregor as the timid publisher who falls for both the woman and her work.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Beatrix Potter
- Renée Zellweger
- Norman Warne
- Ewan McGregor
- Millie Warne
- Emily Watson
- Helen Potter
- Barbara Flynn
- Rupert Potter
- Bill Paterson
- Miss Wiggin
- Matyelok Gibbs
- William Heelis
- Lloyd Owen
- Harold Warne
- Anton Lesser
- Fruing Warne
- David Bamber
- Mrs Warne
- Phyllida Law
- Young Beatrix
- Lucy Boynton
- Lady Armitage
- Jane How
- Ashton Clifford
- Richard Mulholland
Crew
- Director
- Chris Noonan
- Share this episode
-