Column:

'Bright Star' has hype and costumes, but not much else

By Thomas Leonard

Published Oct. 6, 2009

Oscar season is upon us, and with the academy now considering 10 films for Best Picture, the competition is heating up. So what better movie than "Bright Star" to throw its hat into the ring?

Oscar-winning director/screenwriter Jane Campion's carefully crafted costume drama is based on the real life romance of seamstress Fanny Brawne and legendary poet John Keats. This 1800s costume-drama has Oscar written all over it, but does it live up to the hype?

Well, not quite. Even with its talented young cast and creative team, "Bright Star" lacks the oomph to elevate it higher than just another installment in this increasingly tired genre. What Campion produces is more akin to a bouquet: elaborate, expensive and beautiful — but of no use except for something at which to look. "Bright Star" falls victim to its own criticism of Keats' poetry: "beautiful, but empty."

From the opening credit sequence displaying detailed, intricate hand sewing, "Bright Star" is visually interesting but frustratingly tedious. The story follows flirtatious seamstress Brawne (played by the beautiful Abbie Cornish) and her star-crossed love affair with poet next door John Keats (a annoyingly mediocre Ben Whinshaw).

She is struck by his poetry, he by her brazen flirtation. He has no money and can't afford to marry, so they continue their love affair in secret. Despite a solid performance from Cornish and some lovely moments with Whinshaw, the passion is not there. The romance, so then the story, is never too arresting. No element is working hard enough to elevate the film from its dull, albeit pretty, surrounding.

Still, you can't ignore how beautiful that surrounding really is. Campion has filmed a visual feast, full of rich pastorals and colorful costumes. In one striking sequence, Keats writes Brawne a poem describing the beauty of a butterfly, inspiring her to catch and keep an array of gorgeous butterflies in her room. The effect is magical.

Cornish dances around the colorful collection and the audience feels convinced they are, in fact, watching a John Keats poem. It's like 3-D for the Masterpiece Theatre set.

Sadly, "Bright Star's" stunning visual ups do not save its dry expositional downs. Even a fun supporting cast of Fanny's mother (Kerry Fox) and Keats' bawdy Scottish confidant (Paul Schneider) struggle to get the ball rolling, and the entire film feels like a hike up a mountain for only a fairly decent view.

This tiring trip up isn't helped by the film's story-telling device: many short scenes taking the viewer in and out of action. This chapter-like device makes it even more difficult to care about the love story, as we are treated to an extended romantic scene no more than five times.

Those five or so times just aren't enough to really care about the love affair in "Bright Star." Although the gorgeous costumes and lavish scenery are lovely distractions, it's not enough in the end to make you really root for Cornish and Whinshaw.

The academy voters might love it, and most likely so would fans of the costume drama period piece. But the casual moviegoer will more than likely yawn at the tedious subject matter. Campion has attempted to film Keats' poetic legacy, and although at some turns she succeeds, she has more effectively produced an orchid.