This adaptation of George Orwell's comic novel Keep the Aspidistra Flying, about a copywriter who quits his job to pursue his creative muse, is refreshingly ignoble, contending as it does that artists who embrace poverty as a virtue are deluded cretins. The film (perhaps following the book) hedges its bets, however, by making its protagonist, Gordon Comstock (Richard E. Grant, enjoyably manic as ever), a laughably awful poet; it's not at all clear whether we're to believe that those with genuine talent should succumb to the myriad lures of capitalism--nor, for that matter, whether the theme is truly the debilitating effects of insolvency or (as it sometimes seems) the pretensions of would-be aesthetes. Recent Oscar nominee Helena Bonham Carter, as Comstock's less ambitious fiancee, is appealingly sensible and direct; only trouble is, it's difficult to understand what she sees in her desperate loon of a boyfriend. Optional. (M. D'Angelo)
A Merry War
(A-Pix, 101 min., R) Vol. 14, Issue 2
A Merry War
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: