If you’re not a dyed-in-the-wool Downton Abbey fan, starting with season 1 in 2010 and running through fifty-two episodes, which ended in 2015, and two other feature films in 2019 and 2022, then stop reading right now. Do yourself a favor and check out a review about the latest horror film, or watch sports on TV. What I am saying is that this film is not for you.
If you wander into the theater by accident or you’re on a date with one of these “Downton” fans, you’ll sit through the film and wonder what all the fuss is about. To the untrained eye, this film is slow-paced and a bit confusing if you don’t know all the backstory. And dare I say, dull.
However, to us legions of fans of the Crawley family saga and their staff who have served them through the years, it is scrumptious. It is a perfect farewell love letter to all of us. This film shows us the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. This is a time when Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) finds herself at the center of a public scandal that threatens the household with social disgrace. Also, the Crawleys, like most royal families of the time in England, who were used to having big houses and estates, are facing tough financial decisions that will impact the way they live out their remaining years in this modern world. These decisions will ripple through to those who have spent the majority of their lives proudly working for them at Highclere Castle.
I won’t give away any of the plot twists because there really are not that many. Instead, the film ties up loose ends. It follows the natural progression of Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) as they turn over the reins of the castle to Lady Mary.
The British (BSC) cinematography by Ben Smithard, who shot the first Downton Abbey feature in 2019, is back for this fine goodbye. His style and lush work are the other characters in this film. He has a talent for putting the audience firmly in a certain place and time without seeming contrived. He works well with the film’s British director, Simon Curtis. Mr. Curtis also worked with Ben on the sweet 2017 film Goodbye Christopher Robin.
As a fan of Downton Abbey, you’re really going to giggle at the inside jokes and enjoy seeing everybody we loved in the series make an appearance in this film in one way or another. They even honor the late Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), in a heartfelt, touching way.
I give Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale 4 stars. It’s a film really only for the fans, but there are enough of us to make it worth the effort. Catch this on the big screen in theaters and enjoy this sweet goodbye with a room full of other people like yourself who enjoyed meeting the Crawleys.
Directed by: Simon Curtis
Written by: Julian Fellows
Rated: PG
Selig Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 2 hrs 3 min
Drama
Release: In theaters September 12th
Starring: Michelle Dockery, Joanne Froggatt, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Brendan Coyle. Jim Carter
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.