Synopsis
The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain, whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever.
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Cast
- Benedict CumberbatchLouis Wain
- Claire FoyEmily Wain
- Andrea RiseboroughCaroline Wain
- Toby JonesSir William Ingram
- Sharon RooneyJosephine Wain
- Aimee Lou WoodClaire Wain
- Hayley SquiresMarie Wain
- Stacy MartinFelicie Wain
- Phoebe NichollsMrs Wain
- Adeel AkhtarDan Rider
Recommendations
- 75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Cumberbatch excels once again at breathing life into a sorrowful genius. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Cumberbatch and Foy play beautifully together; the chemistry is palpable, and both performers know how to charm audiences without overselling the romance. - 70
Variety
Whether one considers said work to be worthy of a feature-length movie is almost entirely beside the point, since Stephenson and Sharpe have unearthed so much else that’s engaging about Wain’s story. - 65
Slashfilm
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is often quite charming and sweet. But there's an undercurrent of sadness running through the entire affair, and even when the film tries to convince us that there were good times among the bad, it's hard not to think how awful life must have been for several characters here. - 65
TheWrap
As tragic biopics go, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain isn’t interested in wallowing in misery. Instead, this amusing retelling of Wain’s life is a way to introduce his quirky illustrations to a new generation, putting them in a new light that’s more in line with the irreverent and animated creatures Wain once imagined years ago. - 50
IndieWire
Sharpe’s portrait is so determined to capture the full rainbow of Wain’s singular hues that it soon becomes a muddled soup of mismatched quirks. - 50
The Playlist
You can certainly respect Sharpe for taking a big swing in this regard, but he can’t bring the proceedings back to earth when the audience needs some sort of emotional investment. This also ends up hampering Cumberbatch, who is giving one of the most committed performances of his life, but only to find it buried under all of the film’s extracurricular aspects. - 50
Screen Daily
Boxily framed, the film tries out several visual looks, wandering tonally through its own aesthetic maze.
