Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

aussiechris I am completely surprised by the poor rating of this film. A masterpiece of great acting, directing and artistry - I truly felt I had traveled back in time. Especially when you compare it to today's similar films, this film felt superbly realistic, with amazing attention to detail and incredible sets, locations and costumes. The greatest surprise of the film is Robert Donwey Jr. himself who pulls off a great performance with a very convincing British accent. He gives the character of Robert a lot of depth showing his evolution from superficial and materialistic to mature practicing physician. And unlike other reviewers I truly did not mind Meg Ryan in this role, in fact it was good to see her as something other than the ditsy leading lady in a rom-com and I was surprised to see her do a fair Irish accent. I can only guess that the poorer rating was due the context of the period during its release. The 90s really saw the rise of the big blockbuster (which has continued to this day) and this film is anything but. Apart from the over the top (and yet brilliant) sets, this film is moderate in tone and pace - there are no action sequences aside from a bit of action through the fire scene and no over the top romance or drama - and this is what makes the film so enjoyable and realisticI highly recommend watching this Restoration to anyone that wants to be swept away to another period in history and to anyone who wants to see Robert Downey Jr's true acting talent.

twhiteson "Restoration" was a "costume" drama that received decent reviews, but abysmal box-office upon its release in 1995. Its costume and set-design were clearly Oscar-bait and it was rewarded for its efforts by winning Oscars in those categories. However, the film itself has been relatively forgotten.The plot: In 1663 England, young Dr. Robert Merivel (Robert Downey, Jr.) works alongside his colleague and friend, Dr. John Pearce (David Thewlis), in an overcrowded, underfunded, and run-down London hospital. While considered by his father, a glove-maker, and Pearce as being capable of being an outstanding physician due to a "gift" for healing, Merivel is unhappy as to his station in life. Young and more than a bit frivolous and shallow, Merivel enjoys life away from the hospital with wine and women and bemoans his medical duties taking him away from the "color" of life. Yet, a chance encounter with the restored king, Charles II (Sam Neil), leads to Merivel being swept away to that Merry Monarch's court where seemingly all of his dreams of having luxurious, decadent life free from stress and suffering come true. At the king's court, a sex-and-alcohol besotted and sumptuously dressed Merivel acts the fool for the seemingly easy-going king thinking it pleases him. And Merivel does please the king until he doesn't.Merivel becomes a pawn in one of Charles' romantic imbroglios between his many mistresses. Despite being rewarded handsomely to play ball, Merivel refuses to be a pawn and finds himself exiled from court. It's as if he was exiled from paradise. And he struggles to come to terms with its loss. Yet, with the aide and support of his friend, Pearce; the maturation that comes from becoming a father; and the discovery that he truly does have a "gift" as a physician; leads to a "restoration" of a broken boy into a truly decent man. Merivel's medical "gift" is actually his having a very practical mind that leads him to question some of the superstitious beliefs that passed for medicine in that era. His courage and skill as a physician is tested and proved by the 1665 Great Plague of London and once again captures the attention of Charles II...."Restoration" works as a film because of the terrific performance of Robert Downey, Jr. who brilliantly and believably portrays Merivel's rather stunning transformation from boy to man. At the time, Downey was beset with his own many personal demons as to substance abuse and he doesn't look healthy. However, Downey's rather worn-down appearance actually fits Merivel's dissolute character very well.He's joined by a terrific Sam Neill as Charles II. A shrewd king who has no problem using people for his own selfish ends, but also one that is not unkindly. Ian McKellan has a small role as a loyal servant. David Thewlis does an excellent job as the devout Quaker doctor, Pearce, who repeatedly tries to steer Merivel to his true calling. And, finally, Hugh Grant has a small, but memorable part as a conniving and unctuous court painter who tangles with Merivel.Unfortunately, "Restoration" has one massive miscasting: Meg Ryan as "Katherine," the abandoned Irish wife of an English soldier who becomes Merivel's lover and the mother of his child. It's not hard to understand why Ryan was cast: she was big star in 1995 and "Restoration" needed star power to help with the box-office. However, she's too lightweight of an actor to carry the part, does too many of her infamous "cutisms" that worked in her romantic-comedies but are out-of-place in a period film, and the Lucky Charms Irish accent also didn't help. The fact that "Restoration" still bombed at the box-office despite having Ryan must have made her miscasting an even crueler blow to the films' producers.Overall: "Restoration" isn't for everyone. It can come across as a fairly slow-moving and episodic costume drama. However, I like stories of rebirth and redemption and this is a very good one. Also, Downey is terrific. Not many actors could have recovered from his personal pratfalls, but Downey did because he's a truly outstanding talent and that talent shines through in this film.

Gabriela Sanches de Sá Bergamo This movie is quite a piece, and is there to prove that there are great movies that are, somehow, forgot as times goes by. The main character is a delight, it's so easy to like him (I guess Robert Downey Jr has a very "likable" face anyway), and you are emotionally bound to him from his first appearance to the last fade out which is, in my humble opinion, what makes a good movie. The background is also very interesting. The post Cromwell revolution England is a place full of contrasting people and ideals, and the movie explores the differences between nobility and the ordinary men with the sad looking puritans and the ostensible royal doctor. But the movie has a few flaws as well: The timing gets kind of annoying and confusing in the first quarter of the movie as some of the characters are not properly explored, specially the Painter and Lady Celia, leading to some unnecessary over exposure of the main character. But then, the movie get everything together and put you there, inside the roller coaster of the story again, leading to surprising twists and a touch ending. :)

style-2 Visually magnificent, with plenty of opportunities for oppressive opulence in this delicious, but ultimately convoluted epic, *Restoration* is a lovely mess. Spanning the reign of Charles II, the great fire, the plague, ad nauseum, the "restoration" refers to, not only the period, but the human condition. But that conclusion is a difficult one to arrive at, and will only be understood by those viewers who actually sit through the movie. Shot in England and Wales, and winning Academy Awards for Art Direction and Costumes, the script involves a promising young doctor, Jack Merivel (Downey), whose gifts attract the attention of the King. Entering the revered court circle, Merivel has the delights of the world at his fingertips and ultimately succumbs to debauchery. But it is a story of restoration (as well as *the* Restoration) and redemption, with certain timeless aspects that have modern consequences, but the script begins to fray throughout the second half. With the exception of an unpleasant, jarring characterization of a mentally ill woman by Meg Foster (whose forte is definitely not period pieces), the leading and supporting roles are well cast. Downey has an appeal and charm (one that survived his recent tribulations), and gives Merivel humor, irony and dedication, in addition to the human foibles he falls victim to. Neill carries off the role of King Charles II with style and assurance, as he seeks to secure the permanent services of his mistress by marrying her off the Merivel, thus keeping her near. The King has selected Merivel for his inability to be placated with one woman – Merivel's desires keep him on a constant conquest for new and different lasciviousness – but the King's one condition is that Merivel not fall in love with his own wife. Needless to say, that is exactly what occurs, and thus begins the tumultuous fall from grace. And that's just the first part of this lengthy movie. The second half deals with Merivel's quest for redemption – not from the King, but from himself and God. It involves his daughter by the Meg Ryan character, and this is where the story changes from costume drama to social commentary. It is through Merivel's personal travails, as well as those inherent in the period: disease, pestilence and ignorance, that Merivel understands that the only reason he is on earth is to care for this child that is an extension of himself. His flight to find her and prove his worthiness in overcoming the obstacles set before him is a moment that would have been served at little earlier in the film. Despite the lush cinematography, there is an overdose factor involved that, once the outcome of the movie is evident, the viewer yearns for it to hurry along and be over. That said, it also leaves lingering memories of beauty and gratification.