REVIEW - DIANA

It's as if they knew they had a stinker from the start. Diana is what it looks like when nobody actually tries, nobody save one poor woman, but more on her in a moment. Stephen Jeffreys' screenplay had everything a classical, though not classic, biopic could have required... except good dialogue. So maybe director Oliver Hirschbiegel - who's so good when he does try, occasionally - took the job in hope that such a project was innately respectable and infallible. Then everybody else followed suit, I suppose. They wandered through the production, the potential of BAFTA nominations in the back, and probably front of their minds (not Oscar nominations, definitely not), sure that good enough would be good enough, and that well if everybody else was only doing good enough, why should they try any harder? Everybody except that one poor woman, who really does try. Naomi Watts might bear the brunt of the criticism regarding Diana's failure as a film, but what more could be expected of her? She's the wrong age, the wrong height, barely even resembles a distant relative of Diana Spencer, and without an elaborate makeup job how much better could she reasonably do? Fact is, I never felt as though I was watching Naomi Watts. I was diverted by the story, if not engrossed in it, and it is Watts' tenacity in the role that kept me engaged. It's not a brilliant performance, but it's a hardcore one, and she's a soldier. She even makes that screenplay sound just-about-passable. Naveen Andrews does not, but he has been burdened with lines so dreadful I found myself facepalming in the middle of a matinee screening. Oh, Julian Day, the costume designer, tries too. Nice fashions. And nice hair. And nice work Naomi. But can we all please never do anything like this ever again?

Poor lass :(