Written by: Alex MacKeith
Starring: Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack, Stephen McMillan, Crispin Letts
Rating: [2.5/5]
Striking when the right time approaches describe many success stories, especially when those opportunities do not arrive with any consistent frequency. This can illustrate the experience of many artists and the way they found success, but when it comes to writing and the wholly personal nature of it, this path proves quite tricky to navigate. Something The Lesson wants to poke and prod and while it certainly does those actions in what it believes to be a clever manner, the film does not quite land in the way it should.
Accepting a position to work as a tutor at an estate, Liam (Daryl McCormack), an aspiring writer learns his pupil is the son of an acclaimed writer, J.M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant). While staying at the estate, he begins to notice that Sinclair has strict expectations for the son Bertie (Stepehen McMillan), which impacts the boy. However, while at the right place at the right time, Liam hopes to get the famous author’s thoughts on the young writer’s work.
Oh, the thriller that wants to be clever. An attempt each film of this genre seeks to emulate but only the best of them truly hoodwink and dazzle with the layers they build and unravel for the audience to take in. Reaching this stage means everything in the narrative must work well and while I can certainly enjoy elements of The Lesson it certainly does not get there. As it weaves through its story, it seeks to unveil these secrets as we feel trapped within this beautiful estate where plenty of resentment and anger simmers right under the surface, which begs the question of the true intentions of each of these individuals and how far they will go to get their way.
While the narrative does not necessarily fire on all cylinders, the performances certainly came to play with some wonderful actors chewing up the scenery with what they receive. It does not take any convincing to get me to watch a Julie Delpy film and she certainly put on a show here in presenting the most appealing character of the bunch in navigating “the wife” role. While Liam and J.M. take much of the spotlight as they talk about the art of writing and play up each other’s expectations, Delpy’s Hélène sits on the sidelines and navigates this story in such devilishly good fashion. She remains this alluring figure all throughout and we can certainly see why as it all plays out. Richard E. Grant does what he does best and I love that he continues to get these types of roles. Then we have Daryl McCormack who dazzled in his breakout role in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande who serves as the audience surrogate as we enter the wild world of this particular estate and he helps us peel back these layers. Having to go against Grant and Delpy never felt like a fair fight for him, but he certainly plays into the trickier side of this character as we learn more about his intentions in all of this.
As we navigate this narrative, it delves into some intriguing conversations about authorship and what it takes to succeed in this particular profession, in addition to the weaponization of criticism as well. When working within this realm the film does well, especially as we learn more about Liam and the adoration he has for J.M. The film then begins to falter when it falls right into these clichés within this genre and goes in directions that feel unbecoming for the sophisticated nature of the initial conversations. Perhaps the intent lied in marrying the intellectual with the carnal given some of the events that transpire between these characters but this connection never feels grounded in what ultimately serves the narrative the best but whatever added another pulse-pounding moment. The film sought to bring something to the table it did not need, and therefore spoiled the bunch overall. Elements of the water and the anger that spews does not feel adequately built upon, leaving for a lackluster experience by the time we reach the final credits.
Devilishly fun in moments but ultimately something that feels like a missed opportunity, The Lesson left plenty to be desired in its final product. While the parts that felt like it wasted the premise involved, I will never be completely angry at a film that provides Julie Delpy a paycheck in addition to Richard E. Grant, who consistently proves he deserves the world. Each of these two actors certainly had fun with what their characters required and certainly makes this film still something worth seeking out for those who enjoy twisty little tales, and the particular insecurity and arrogance writers carry that certainly add to what this film seeks to evoke.
Films with Josh 
