During a season that has seen some of the most substantial political films in years, Hyde Park On Hudson comes floating in without a care in the world or much of a brain in its head. Depictions of U.S. Presidents or British royalty are usually a sure thing come Oscar season, just ask Daniel Day-Lewis or Colin Firth, and this film has both of those. A clear example of Oscar bait gone horribly awry, Hyde Park On Hudson does feature one remarkable central performance that nobody will notice because everything else about it is so immaterial. It's like the My Week with Marilyn of political movies, and will be remembered in much the same way, meaning not at all.
There's great potential here, only realized by Bill Murray in a charismatic and affable performance as President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Bill Clinton of his day, it was discovered in 1991 that he had been keeping on an extramarital affair with his distant cousin, Martha Suckley(Laura Linney). Thankfully for him there was no 24-hour news cycle, because apparently everyone at their Hyde Park getaway knew about his little trysts, but he remained beloved in the eyes of the public. His Roosevelt is a complex man who recognized his own personal failings, but found inner strength and confidence when dealing with matters of state. We forget how good Murray can be when given the proper motivation, and he hasn't been this motivated since 2003's Lost in Translation.Richard Nelson's lightweight script gives us a Roosevelt that is both creepy old lech and yet the most powerful figure in the free world. But rather than exploring what makes a man like that tick, we're treated to director Roger Michell trying to decide if he wants the film to be Lincoln or Notting Hill. The story chronicles one important weekend in history, as the world stood on the cusp of WWII, FDR and his wife/enabler Eleanor Roosevelt(Olivia Williams) invited King George VI(Samuel West) and Queen Elizabeth(Olivia Colman) to Hyde Park, ostensibly to discuss the possibility of U.S. involvement. That's pretty heavy stuff, but it's ultimately rendered unimportant in the face of the King and Queen agonizing over a hot dog picnic(seriously), and FDR getting handjobs from Suckley while taking a quiet Sunday drive.
Suckley proves to be a painfully boring and plain character, with Linney giving an equally passionless performance. She doesn't get much to work with, as even when it's discovered FDR has been sleeping around more than thought, we don't see Suckley react to it much. Her narration doesn't so much drive the story as drag it through the mud. There's little insight into the nature of FDR and Eleanor's awkward marriage, which sees her shrugging her shoulders at his infidelities one minute while seething the next. The King and Queen obviously don't get the same stellar treatment they received in The King's Speech, but West and Colman are solid enough. Smiling and mischievous behind his pince-nez specs, Murray manages to rise above the mediocrity.As the two national leaders down a few drinks and trade war stories about their respective wives', the film truly hits its stride. The King's anxiety is a well-known trait, but we see him looking up to FDR as a sort of mentor in the ways of leading men through troubled times. It's a fantastic, but all too short moment that shows what Hyde Park On Hudson could have been. And then we'd possibly be talking about Bill Murray as an Oscar winner, rather than an Oscar also-ran.
