Movie Review: Miss Potter

I'm a sucker for costume dramas, and although I'd had this one sitting on the bookcase in it's Netflix envelope for several weeks, I was really looking forward to finally watching it. I'll tell you up front, this one is not for the guys and I did not even attempt to subject Wingnut to viewing it.

Miss Potter is a sweet biopic beginning with the publishing of her first children's books when Beatrix was in her early 30s. The film contains flashbacks of her childhood depicting her inspiration for the illustrations and stories she would become famous and independently wealthy for, and then follows the publishing of her works, as well as the romance that developed between her and her publisher, Norman Warne. As many stories from this time period, this movie explores the struggle of the single woman attempting to break free of the repressive mold of Victorianism (is that a word?), as well as the effort against other social conventions of the time.

This was a lovely and whimsical little film, if not a bit saccharine. The acting was wonderfully done, especially by Rene Zellweger and Ewan Mcgregor. Although light fare, this is a perfect girls night movie and would be completely appropriate for girls of all ages, but may not hold the attention of those under 10 years old.