Featuring an Oscar nominated performance by dame Judi Dench (she won the Golden Globe for it) and another nomination for the makeup team, this highly enjoyable film may not have been a big hit among the general public (it had a domestic gross of around $9 million), but clearly pleased "art house" fans as well it should have.
While Dench delivers a great take on the Queen of England (her first of two in back-to-back years -- the other being her Oscar winning, but rather short take on Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love"), the most surprising performance comes from Billy Connolly in the lead role.
Best known for his stand up comedy and as the teacher on the TV series, "Head of the Class," Connolly delivers an outstanding performance that will make you forget his earlier work. His take as the famous Scot is supposedly very accurate and his resemblance to that man is also reportedly stunning.
As far as the movie goes, it's quite enjoyable, although toward the later third it begins to drag a bit, making its 100 minute runtime seem a bit longer than it is. Of course some of that comes from the fact that the film has taken a more serious turn at that stage, and the earlier fun that permeated the production is missing.
In fact, it's those early scenes that make "Mrs. Brown" so enjoyable. Watching John Brown's straightforward approach ruffle the court's feathers is entertaining and it kick starts the Queen into recovery and into a friendship with Brown, both of which lighten the film's somewhat stifled feel.
While many will probably skip this film due to it looking like a stuffy costume drama or something akin to Masterpiece Theater, they'll be missing out on some great performances in one of the better films from 1997.
As far as the DVD itself, it's something of a disappointment. Supplemental material is marginal at best (two theatrical trailers make up the offerings), while the picture quality is far below what most now expect from this format.
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