Synopsis
As John Barrymore reckons with the ravages of his life of excess, he rents an old theatre to rehearse for a backer's audition to raise money for a revival of his 1920 Broadway triumph in Richard III.
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Cast
- Christopher PlummerJohn Barrymore
- John PlumpisFrank, The Prompter
Recommendations
- 80
New York Magazine (Vulture)
God, I love Plummer's performance - the twiddling fingers, the tipsy sway of the head, the reverberating roar, as well as the pathos of a man who can't stop acting long enough to hear the cry of his own soul. - 80
Village Voice
It takes a minute for the film to move beyond a kind of gilded stasis, but once it does, it - and Plummer - are riveting. - 80
The New York Times
Mr. Plummer stumbles beautifully, poignantly and often, leering and searching through a haze of memory or, with concern edged with panic, calling for "a line, a line" much as Richard III calls for a horse. - 75
New York Post
With much help from an exasperated off-screen prompter - the only other performer in this small gem - Plummer's Barrymore shows flashes of glory as he delivers bits and pieces of various Shakespearean roles. - 75
Entertainment Weekly
Among the drawbacks: Director Érik Canuel jumps through hoops in an effort to make the stage piece (by William Luce) move like the movie piece it isn't. - 50
Variety
The material itself has a formulaic solo-bioplay rhythm neither performer nor director can fully elude. - 50
Los Angeles Times
Two things to keep in mind when considering Barrymore, starring Christopher Plummer as the great John B: It was brilliant as a one-man stage show; it was never a good candidate for film. - 40
Time Out
This isn't a film, it's a recording of canned ham-tasty, certainly, but creaky nonetheless.