‘The Grand Seduction’ Review By Enrique Pedraza “The Grand Seduction” is a very archetypal, uplifting piece of filmmaking that features respectable performances that are particularly alive in the third act of the movie. Although affection grows towards some of the characters, neither that nor the extreme positiveness at the end, can really make the film distinguishable or unique. The story is based on the Canadian comedy “Seducing Dr. Lewis” set in the fishing village of Tickle Cove, a tranquil place dominated by approximately one hundred old villagers who desperately want to revive their lives and the place where they live. The good news is that one of the villagers that goes by the name of Murray (Brendan Gleeson) is about to persuade an oil company to build a factory in the village, giving full-time jobs to everyone. The only condition for the plan to be executed is the hiring of a permanent doctor. The candidate for the job is the young, attractive Dr. Paul Lewis (Taylor Kitsch) emphasized on plastic surgery. The village has a master plan to persuade Mr. Lewis to stay. They will learn to play Cricket (because Mr. Lewis loves it), force him to fall in love with the only young woman in town, they will offer him a house and if that’s not enough, they will track his calls to make sure they discover what he likes, what he doesn’t like or if he complaints to his girlfriend about his living circumstances. Of course he doesn’t know any of this and the problem is that lies not only make people feel like shit, they’re usually revealed. The film has a shaky start, with unsatisfied relationships that feel too strained, especially that of Murray and his wife. The setting, which is essentially interesting, is not presented properly and depraves the story from a solid atmospheric introduction. Once Doctor Paul Lewis comes into town, the film paces up and the tension becomes significant. Some of the faces we see in the village are quite beautiful, giving a sense of history to the place and contrasting nicely with Kitsch. Gleeson’s performance is stimulating and especially moving towards the end, where his minimalistic approach results tender and quite revelatory from his almost aggressive behavior throughout the rest of the film. Also, the dynamic within the villagers and their formidable unity can be amusing to watch, as well as the way they all try to please Mr. Lewis. A notable scene shows the doctor first arriving to the village seeing everyone pretending to play Cricket in their homemade pink and white uniforms. They have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. Since the film is far from being pioneering, visually interesting or narratively inspiring, there is a tendency to try to look for things that makes the story relevant or worth watching. The reason why the film features several entertaining sequences is merely based on the fascination of strangers and secrecy. Our impulsive curiosity towards the unknown will always be attractive to us, as well as our necessity to know and save secrets. In movies like “The Grand Seduction” or even “The Truman Show” we feel cool to be part of the audience because, along with everyone inside the story, we know the secret and the fakeness of the worlds created. The struggling main character is living pure fakeness. We enjoy being part of the gang that’s informed because it elevates our ego and makes us feel special. “The Grand Seduction” in in select theaters now.
