Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Frivolous and largely inconsequential, Downton Abbey: The Grande Finale probably shouldn't exist. But fellow fans of the series (and its two previous film continuations) will almost surely take any excuse to be back in the upstairs/downstairs world of the Crawleys for one last (?) chapter.
Opening with borderline ghastly CGI of 1930 London, the film quickly regains its footing by shifting to our beloved flesh-and-blood cast enjoying Noël Coward’s latest production. As seemingly only showrunner/screenwriter Julian Fellowes can do, we're soon whisked up in the lives of the various Lords, Ladies, and servants of this great house and brought up to date with our favorite Brits.
All finally appears to be going swimmingly for this long-suffering crew — until it's revealed that Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and her auto racing husband Henry (Matthew Goode, MIA yet again) are divorced. The ripples that this change causes are fascinating to witness for their antiquated nature, though Lord Robert (Hugh Bonneville) using his daughter’s social pariah status to delay bequeathing Downton’s stewardship to her isn’t exactly a film-worthy conflict, especially when the matter seemed so decided in the previous film, A New Era.
More significant drama arrives from America in the form of Harold (Paul Giamatti) — brother of Lady Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) — and his mysterious financial advisor Gus Sambrook (Alessandro Nivola). While Harold’s money woes and the threat they pose to Downton seem like legit woes, they play out like mere plot contrivances.
Narrative issues — that may feel especially weak to viewers for whom The Grand Finale is somehow their first Downton experience — aside, loyal audiences would watch this ensemble perform the phone book and Fellowes gives them a good bit more to work with than The Yellow Pages. And it all looks immaculate as ever under the direction of Simon Curtis, who also helmed the similarly gorgeous A New Era.
On the servants floor, the passing of chef from Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nichols) to her apprentice Daisy (Sophie McShera), and Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) struggling to pass the torch of butler to Andy (Michael Fox) yields plentiful smiles. Meanwhile, the loyalty that the staff show Mary and the family in their hour of need feels well-earned, and it's a treat to see the formerly demure Edith (Laura Carmichael) show some steely backbone.
But it's perhaps Lady Isobel (Penelope Wilton) injecting some new blood and a little needed mayhem into planning the annual county fair that's the most worthy excuse for a third Downton movie. By giving narrow-minded chairman Sir Hector Moreland (Simon Russell Beale) trouble whenever possible, Isobel (and the filmmakers) offer a lovely tribute to her predecessor, the late great Violet Grantham, whose presence — and that of her legendary portrayer, Maggie Smith — is sorely missed.
Now, on to the Downton prequel series!
Grade: B. Rated PG. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, the Fine Arts Theatre, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photo: Rory Mulvey/Focus Features)
