Magic beyond Words: the JK Rowling Story

The story of how Harry Potter creator JK Rowling became one of the world's most celebrated authors is reduced to a string of visual bullet points in this extremely episodic and poorly researched biopic. From her richly imaginative childhood to her struggles as a mum on benefits, Rowling's significant moments are trotted out minus detail, realism or atmosphere, robbing both tragedies and triumphs of emotional impact. Meanwhile, the book-based film's continual attempts to appeal to a North American audience result in laughably rose-tinted inaccuracies about British life; a distraction compounded by director Paul A Kaufman's jarring fantasy flourishes that try unsuccessfully to add a sprinkle of Potter-style magic to the flatly executed and frequently contrived events. Poppy Montgomery does her best to convey the writer's relentless passion for writing, but sadly can't prevent the overall drama feeling unconvincing rather than inspiring.