Although this made-for-HBO movie won Golden Globe awards for Best Picture and Best Actor (for Geoffrey Rush, in the title role), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is something of a mess, basing its jumbled biography on the theory (encouraged by Sellers himself) that the great British actor was a comedic chameleon with a childlike imagination, essentially a blank slate upon which was written a legendary variety of characters (including Dr. Strangelove and Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther films). Directed by Stephen Hopkins (Lost in Space, Predator 2, who seems somewhat out of his depth here), the picture is enjoyable for Rush's astounding performance, and for the fine supporting turns by Emily Watson as Seller's long-suffering first wife and Miriam Margolies as his doting mother, although--unfortunately--Charlize Theron is left with little to do but look glam and sound approximately Swedish as Sellers' second wife Britt Ekland. While several fantasy sequences are visually impressive (and intended to delve further into Sellers' neuroses), there's a scattered feeling to the film's chronology, which hits all the highlights--including his petulant feuds with directors Blake Edwards (the Pink Panther films) or the coolly intellectual Stanley Kubrick (played by Stanley Tucci in a case of woeful miscasting)--but fails to provide any significant insights. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with Rush and Hopkins; the other with the screenwriters), and eight deleted scenes. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a flawed biopic.] (J. Shannon)
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
HBO, 122 min., not rated, VHS: $49.99, DVD: $26.99, May 10 Volume 20, Issue 3
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
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