The best thing about this British miniseries based on five semi-autobiographical novels (1992-2012) by Edward St. Aubyn is Benedict Cumberbatch’s go-for-broke performance as the drug-addled, damaged titular misanthrope. It’s also the worst thing, so depending on where one lies on the appreciation scale for over-the-top thespian turns, Patrick Melrose will either delight or alienate viewers. Directed by Edward Berger, this ambitious and handsomely mounted period epic spans 37 years in the life of its central character, opening with heroin-coke-pill-booze addict Patrick in 1982 receiving the apparently welcome news that his father David (Hugo Weaving) has kicked the proverbial bucket, after which a shaky Patrick must jet from London to New York to retrieve dad’s ashes. The second episode, set in 1967, makes Patrick’s animosity and self-destructive lifestyle a little clearer: as a boy he was sexually abused by his father at the family’s French country estate. The last three episodes—set in 1990, 2003, and 2005 respectively—chronicle Patrick’s ups and downs from full-blown addiction to delirium-tremens-inducing sobriety, while coping with marriage, children, lovers, and—most importantly—his turn-the-other-eye mother Eleanor (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who Patrick deeply resents, and whose failing health engulfs him in a bitter rivalry with a New Age healer (Jonjo O’Neill) who has won Eleanor’s favor. Also featuring Sebastian Maltz as young Patrick, Jessica Raine as an on-again/off-again mistress, Anna Madeley as Patrick’s wife, Prasanna Puwanarajah as Patrick’s best friend, Harriet Walter in a cutting turn as Princess Margaret, and Blythe Danner as Patrick’s aunt, Patrick Melrose is an uneven series with hit-and-miss dialogue that features a flawed but also often fascinating performance by the man many have come to love as Sherlock Holmes. Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a booklet with cast and crew interviews. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)
Patrick Melrose
Acorn, 2 discs, 302 min., not rated, DVD or Blu-ray: $39.99 Volume 34, Issue 5
Patrick Melrose
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