Title: Woman in Gold
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Simon Curtis
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Helen Mirren, Tatiana Maslany
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

What It Is: During World War II over 750,000 pieces of priceless art were stolen by the Nazis because why not. One of those piece of art was “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” painted by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. Adele the model for the piece is the aunt of Maria Altmann (Mirren). Now nearly 50 years (1998 to be exact) after the paint was stolen Maria is seeking restitution for both herself, her family, and her people. With the help of her young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Reynolds) and investigative journalist Hubertus Czernin (Daniel Bruhl) they plan to get back those paintings one way or another.

What We Think: Earlier this year I reviewed The Voices and in that I proclaimed that Hollywood needed to let Ryan Reynolds just act. Well here he does, and he gives perhaps his best performance to date. Sadly the films script let’s down this fantastic ensemble to a median degree. Nothing about the storytelling in very unique, but that didn’t stop me from being enthralled. Helen Mirren continues to show that she is a powerhouse, not just “for her age” but for anyone’s age, sex, or personal constitution. I also feel that Tatiana Maslany deserves some kudos. Most of her lines are in German, and despite this, or possibly through that she delivers. Katie Holmes however speaking in her native tongue was absolutely wooden, and she made the film worse for it.

Our Grade: B, I believe I’ve said almost everything I need to about this film. So I’ll leave you with the traditional go or no type thing I normally do. Check this one out! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Last years Monuments Men tried to tell a similar story in this timeline, but failed. This one doesn’t fail but it also isn’t the greatest narrative ever created. Instead this is just a solid flick with some great acting!