This opulent costume drama earned Academy Awards for its magnificent art direction and costume design, and boasts another flamboyantly bravura performance by Robert Downey, Jr., as Merivel, a once-promising medical student who squanders his gifts in the court of Charles II. In a dramatic departure, Meg Ryan appears as an asylum inmate who reawakens his humanity. Hugh Grant is a hoot as the court's preening portrait painter, with Polly Walker as the king's mistress with whom Merivel makes the mistake of falling in love. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
Restoration
(Miramax, 118 min., R, avail. Aug. 13) Vol. 11, Issue 4
Restoration
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.
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