Sorry, this movie sucks

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Even though this is a beautiful looking movie it is totally devoid of any truth.The royals only visited for a day. Why did they visit? With the world on the brink of war the point of their visit seems ignored.Daisy is 20 years older than depicted. Her relationship with Roosevelt was much more than a physical relationship. There was nothing dirty about it but a total trust in each other. Roosevelt, by this time, was very tired, physically and emotionally.Murry's depiction is one dimensional.This is only a simple story but so much more could have been put into this to tell the very interesting true story of this weekend. It seems the point of the movie is to deride the royals, the way of life of the President and those in his life.Add to this a slow, boring interpretation of this pure fiction I only give it a rating of one because of how beautiful it looks.

In some film portraits of famous people, it can be common for filmmakers to not directly focus on the prominent historical figure, but to have a side character (sometimes fictional) tell the story from their point of view. Sometimes this is done because the celebrity at the film's focus might be so larger than life that it is too difficult to tell their story their way. The side character becomes an extension of the audience, a way for them to get inside the world of the film and let them into the private lives of public people. Think about the 2006 film "The Last King of Scotland" about Idi Amin, only told through the perspective of his fictional Scottish doctor. But in the case of Roger Michell's "Hyde Park on Hudson", it might be because the filmmakers are not sure what story they really want to tell.We start the movie with narration from Daisy, a distant cousin of FDR who begins an implied affair with the leader of the free world in the spring of 1939 while the President stays at his mother's home in upstate New York, the title of the picture. Practically all of the film's problems stem from this character. There are some schools of thought that say narration in a film is the easy way out. I think it can be used quite creatively, but in "Hyde Park on Hudson", it feels too much like it's filling in the expository details that the script couldn't manage.While this relationship might have some historical fact to it, it really doesn't warrant a feature length film. What's worse is that they got a great actress in the form of Laura Linney to play such a thankless and empty role. And it's the main character! There are some humanizing touches that reveal how she is caught in between two worlds, but the filmmakers would have been wiser to focus on another aspect to tell the story.The film never feels like it starts until the King and Queen of England are introduced. They come to visit the President at his home away from the White House to confirm that they are in fact allies right before Europe goes up in flames. Played by Samuel West and Olivia Colman respectively, they add some of the films funniest moments as well as dramatic. History buffs will be disappointed after a little research to learn that this film and what it depicts are mostly a work of fiction, a historical chamber piece that takes great liberties for the sake of entertainment. However, the most enjoyable moments come from watching the King and Queen's fish out of water take on their American hosts.I haven't even mentioned Bill Murray's performance as President Roosevelt, the film's saving grace and perhaps the best thing about it. Because of the confused script, Murray only has about one scene of meaty dialogue and a chance to showcase his acting. It is a late night drink between the two world leaders where they exchange vulnerabilities that is the heart of the film. Murray's witty sensibilities as an actor work well with the laid back depiction of FDR. Whether he is arguing with the women in his life or mentally messing with his Royal guests, he is brilliant.So what we end up with is a missed opportunity. We have a film that doesn't really know what it wants to say, and thus ends up feeling like two different movies, one very good and the other meandering. Still, the whole thing is a harmless (and short) affair, and worth seeing if you are a fan of Bill Murray.

Extremely disappointing 2012 film. It was tedious, dull and monotonous. Repeating myself, but what else could I say for such a stinker?The dialogue is anything but good. Big deal that the hill leads down to a river.Elizabeth Wilson, as FDR's mother, is given little to do, but where she appears, she is an absolute scene stealer. Her protectiveness of her son along with her anti-liquor crusade were both a joy to watch.The plot is as thin as they come. FDR starts a relationship with a distant cousin, Daisy. Just at this time, the summer of 1939, George and Elizabeth, king and queen of England are coming to the retreat for a weekend. The monarchy is depicted as being quite shallow and somewhat bigoted. Queen Mary likes "most" Americans. Big deal that the king heating hot-dogs shall bring a closer alliance to both countries. Within a year, Europe was at war and the U.S. didn't even join in until we were caught with our pants down at Pearl Harbor.Bill Murray tries very hard as FDR but is done in by an incredibly weak script. Even the guy who plays King George can't seem to focus in on his stuttering.Terrible picture. I'm over-rating it due to FDR.

Depicting the long-term relationship between FDR (Bill Murray) and his distant cousin Daisy (Laura Linney), HYDE PARK ON HUDSON is an excellent character-study of a US President making the best of his disability yet remaining true to his nature. A serial philanderer yet sincere friend, he is someone whom people have to get to know; he will not change. Daisy understands this through painful experience, forming a friendship that lasted throughout Roosevelt's lifetime. Richard Nelson's screenplay also focuses on the encounter between FDR and King George VI (Samuel West); like the President, the King suffers from a disability - his stammer - but through an encounter with FDR he learns to come to terms with it, forming the basis for a lasting friendship that was sustained on a personal as well as a national level. Sadly HYDE PARK ON HUDSON is let down by its determination to observe the hackneyed conventions of the period drama; there are too many spurious shots of sun-drenched landscapes, or period cars drawing up and departing from FDR's stately home. Some of the supporting performances are over-drawn: Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth comes across as a xenophobic prude, unable (or perhaps unwilling) to contemplate alternative lifestyles. Nonetheless the film is worth watching, if only for Bill Murray's amazing yet touching recreation of FDR.