enjoyably acidic performance from ms dench
Orla from Cork, 03 Jul 2007
unusually for a "Film of the Book", this does capture the grubby ugly bitter atmosphere of the novel very well. however the lesbian edge to the film is made more of here than I remember from the book. sterling performance as usual from judi dench, for once, looking everyone of her 70 odd years. Cate Blanchett plays these kind of ephemeral roles in her sleep - for one brief moment we get a glimpse of Galadriel (I think) from Lord of the Rings. Well worth renting!
8 people out of 10 found this review helpful
Very interesting film
Rónán from Dublin, 14 Jun 2007
The central premise of a teacher seducing an underage student is disturbing but Notes on a Scandal is a very interesting look at relationships, imagined and real. Judie Dench gives a great performance as the friend giving a shoulder to cry on when in fact she'd like more. Watch out for young Donegal actor Andrew Simpson who gets a big screen break beside Cate Blanchett.
5 people out of 6 found this review helpful
A solid drama that wants to be a thriller!
Anthony from Dublin, 12 Jul 2007
Great performances all round. This is an interesting film that would have been a wonderful thriller if the imagination had been allowed to run a little. A great opportunity to provide a menacing movie that would spook the hell out of you was missed. Having said that you do spend some time wondering if the undercurrent is going to produce any shocks and that in itself saves it. A thrillette!
4 people out of 6 found this review helpful
Exceptional
Colette from Louth, 15 Jul 2007
A gem on all fronts; Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Judi Dench on blistering form, polished script with the characteristic casual cruelty of Patrick Marber, and a well-edited length.
4 people out of 5 found this review helpful
Uneven.
Ciaran from Dublin, 22 Jul 2007
There's a lot of good things to be enjoyed here - an excellent script, great performances and some twists and turns, but the whole is not the sum of the parts. It's supposed to be smart, and for the most part this unsettling and sometimes uncomfortable thriller is indeed smart. But then the characters behave stupidly and you're left wondering if they're so smart afterall. Still, well worth renting for thriller fans.
3 people out of 3 found this review helpful
Not as good as expected
Jayne from Laois, 03 Sep 2007
This movie wasn't as good as I thought. Judi Dench was brilliant in it but I got a bit bored of the whole thing half way into it. I was very disappointed to be honest.
3 people out of 3 found this review helpful
Superb Acting - bland movie
Nicola from Dublin, 08 Dec 2010
An uncomfortable tale of obsession and secrets. Judi Dench is very well cast as a creepy obsessive spinster. Cate Blanchett also well cast as a beautiful young art teacher with a free spirit but with a very grounded family life.
The story line is good, parochial and believable, but bland. The obessive nature of Babara (Dench) could have been exploited more to put us on edge (as in Ian McEwans' Enduring Love).
I wasn't concerned about the characters, but glad I watched it....once!
2 people out of 2 found this review helpful
Notes on a Scandal
Tim from Cork, 26 May 2008
All the great acting in the world doesn't make a great film. Here we have Judi Dench and Cate Blanchet, two of the finest actresses working today, playing their hearts out and it amounts to an average enough film. The problem lies with either editing or directing. The potential for intensity wasn't fully exploited and the result is a crescendo that is sudden and short lived... Worth watching but could have been so much better!
1 people out of 1 found this review helpful