Gods and Monsters

Ian McKellen, Oscar-nominee and multiple-critics'-awards recipient, has a sinfully good time playing horror director James Whale (Frankenstein). As the openly gay director who found the doors of Hollywood closed to him in his later years, he growls innuendo and wraps his lips around a cigar that's not just a cigar, turning Whale into a dirty old man with little left to embrace but his own lasciviousness. Based on Christopher Bram's novel Father of Frankenstein, writer/director Bill Condon's Oscar-winning screenplay adaptation has fun playing with Whale's intriguing biography, even advancing the sly suggestion that Whale was not only the father of Frankenstein, but also the father of camp sensibility in movies. Unfortunately, there's another character gobbling up chunks of screen time--Brendan Fraser as the gardener who becomes Whale's last, best friend. He's set up as a kindred spirit to Whale, but there's something trite about the entire structure of their relationship, nearly as trite as Lynn Redgrave's turn as a fussy German housekeeper. Worse, at times the film begins to be more about Fraser's character than about Whale (a big mistake). Still, McKellen's delightful performance, though not perfect, is the best reason to watch Gods and Monsters: like the movie itself, it's not incredibly profound, but it is plenty of saucy fun. A strong optional purchase. (S. Renshaw)