Rent The Seagull (2018)

Dumbed Down American Rubbish - The Seagull review by Pete

I was amazed at how awful this was. Much of the script seemed to have been translated into American teenage dumbed down cliches. We had a "really amazing" and astonishingly an "enjoy the rest of your day". Was fully expecting "I was like", "kicking butt", and "have a nice day" with a bit of whooping thrown in for good measure! It was as if the actors had been recruited from a call centre.

For a Russian period drama Saoirse Ronan looks ridiculous with black eyebrows and red hair. A great play totally destroyed US style.

So-so version of a classic but dated and, frankly, dull play - The Seagull review by PV

Chekhov always gets massive praise as a playwright and a short story writer - I have tried reading the latter such as 'The Lady with the Little Dog' but must admit I don't really get him as a writer. It's all about subtle shifts in relationships with Chekhov, I think.

This is a slight film which is pretty local to the play EXCEPT the Americanisms in the text (eg 'smart' for intelligent or bright) which I disliked. I can just about put up with the US accents.

Some interesting characters but all spoilt rich people navel-gazing really, something I hate about so much modern cinema and drama.

No wonder there was a revolution in Russia with all these spoilt rich people obsessed with their own happiness! Maybe they should have tried being serfs and peasants eh.

3 stars. Just.

A treat. Perfect casting and excellent performances. - The Seagull review by CP Customer

Quite often in a Chekov story nothing much happens. The centre of interest is not the plot but the characters and the interactions between them. That is true of The Seagull. There are moments of 'action' but they are isolated moments which are only interesting for their consequences. The main interest lies in the wide range of characters and the changing emotions which nourish or impede their relationships. We become aware of different emotional currents - unrequited love, lust, fear of growing old, family bonds, desire to impress, etc - and it is a tribute to the fine acting in the film that so much is conveyed so economically.

Annette Bening is brilliant as the ageing actress Irina who likes to act the grande dame but is undermined by her doubts about her younger lover, Boris. She is a truly credible character - clever, articulate, proud of her acting career, and yet volatile, prone to doubt and given to harsh judgments which she has to retract. I name Bening because I think she was perfect for the part, but the other roles are equally well played by a strong cast of accomplished actors - Billy Howle as Konstantin, Saorirse Ronan as Nina, Corey Stoll as Boris, Elisabeth Moss as Masha, etc.

The time and place are somewhat remote from us today - pre-revolutionary Russia of the 19th century. Chekov was dead long before that way of life was overturned by the revolution. You might even suspect that the advice to Konstantin - do not mope, get a job, do something - could be addressed to the whole landed class. But the interest for us is not so much in political matters as in the shifting currents of emotion which sometimes lead people to do their best, but often lead them to do their worst, saying and doing things which they regret. That is a timeless aspect of the human condition.