I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It's odd, but the entire time I spent watching this film, I never once got the impression that the relationship between the real James Whale (Ian McKellen) and Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser) ever actually existed. Obviously there are fictional elements added to this story based on the book 'Father of Frankenstein', but I haven't read it so have no other basis on which to rest my comments other than it just didn't feel right. But if even half of the picture is based on real events, it's a compelling look into the declining days of the famed 'Frankenstein' director, even if that legacy is diminished by failing health and the onset of dementia. Sir Ian McKellen does justice to the role of Whale with an almost regal bearing that hearkens back to an earlier day when his stature as a director was more pronounced. I was actually a bit surprised with Fraser's performance here, even though I haven't seen him in a lot of films, most notably in the revived 'Mummy' series. And rounding out the principal cast, I thought Lynn Redgrave was sublimely hilarious as Whale's housekeeper Hanna. In terms of personality, she might have been the most complex character in the story, balancing her notions of sinful homosexuality with a pronounced level of loyalty toward the man she had worked for, for fifteen years.Adding to the ambiance of the Frankenstein theme, it was much appreciated that the film makers included scenes from the three original films dating back to the Thirties. Even though James Whale didn't direct "Son of Frankenstein", it would have been remiss if a clip from that movie was not included along with the original and "Bride of Frankenstein". I about gasped when Boris Karloff showed up at the Cukor party in the movie. Actor Jack Betts was such a dead ringer for Karloff that I thought it was really the man himself until realizing that he had died almost three decades earlier. Actress Rosalind Ayres made for a well cast Elsa Lanchester as well, even without the beehive painted hairdo

first for each performance from the lead roles, especially for Brendan Fraser. than, for the force of story. not the least, for splendid job of Lynn Redgrave. a film who use biographic details for a subtle reflection about great universal themes. the flash backs, the dialogues, the details and the precise portrait of humanity are the great virtues of a magnificent trip in essence of fears, illusions, expectations , shadows of the past. to escape from yourself - that is the axis of a film who gives few interesting answers to the old problem of meaning of life. a film about importance of truth. and about role of a meeting. about different forms of confession and legacy. delicate and powerful. poetic in bitter form. and, so, convincing. a director, an old lady and a young gardener.crumbs of past. as bricks from a strange bridge between past and present.

A fantasy accounting of the last days of film Director , James Whale. Wonderful performances from all. James Whale(Ian McKellan) is suffering from a degenerative brain condition derived from a stroke. The culmination of life of ones life's work, touches everyone,and we see through the eyes of the former director, the experiences that build ones existence. For one who created the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein films, that is something.The film is sheer poetry, and the meaning of an individuals life is duly noted. Homosexuality is part of the background of James Whale, but it only adds to the film. His struggles of life, his successes, and his creative genius are explored in depth ,and with the friendship of the gardener Clayton Boone( Brendan Frazier), who delivers a solid performance, becomes his sounding board, in which we can share his feelings.Hanna the housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave) is more of a matron , who cares genuinely for Whale, and protects him from the outside world.If you are looking for a film with great depth and meaning, then look no further, for here you will find great meaning, of the human soul, and the complexities that form it. A Masterpiece for the Ages....Classic Film Making... 10 of 10... Collectors edition runs 1 hour and 46 minutes. Brilliant !!!

What an annoying movie! Based on a novel, this film purports to be the story of James Whale, English film director, known for his Frankenstein movies of the 1930s. In real life, Whale may have been one whale of a nice person. But he's not portrayed here as such. Instead, as a white-haired old fuddy-duddy, fond of various liqueurs, and surrounded by stuffy old paintings, he comes across as self-centered, hoity-toity, and delusional, who likes to talk about himself and his past, in the presence of youthful male hunks.With mostly interior settings and gobs of dialogue, mostly about bygone days, "Gods And Monsters" conveys a starchy, moldy, pompous look and feel. The camera is mostly static. The film is talky and tedious, with Whale's utterances being spoken as profound words from on high.And there's nothing subtle about the characters or their motives, or the acting. In an early scene, a fully-dressed Whale (Ian McKellen) sits by the pool in the presence of a young male reporter, and insists that for each gossipy item revealed, the reporter must take off an item of clothing. "You're a dirty old man", says the reporter. Yes, and the film calls attention to Whale's lust over and over ... and over.The Clayton Boone character, Whale's preferred boy-toy, played with annoyingly he-man macho by Brendan Fraser, makes it crystal clear that he's absolutely, totally straight. And Lynn Redgrave tries to steal the show with her hammy, mannered portrayal of Whale's maid, Hanna.About as subtle as a sledgehammer, "Gods And Monsters" depicts Whale and his world in an all-or-nothing manner, as if the film were aimed at a mass audience that needs everything spelled out in black and white. Maybe that was the intent.