'Notes on a Scandal'
Manohla Dargis seems a bit conflicted with it. One has to wonder if the plot, which stinks of Mary Kay Latourneau, makes it almost impossible to love? It's got a 90% Cream of the Crop rating on rottentomatoes.com.
. . . What is “Notes on a Scandal”? Well, for starters, it is a painstakingly classy package. The film’s director, Richard Eyre, ran the National Theater in London, and the screenwriter, Patrick Marber, wrote the play “Closer,” which became something of a bigger cultural event when Mike Nichols decided to transpose it to the screen. (The composer for this film, doodle-doodle-doodle, is Philip Glass.) The actors in “Notes on a Scandal” are equally distinguished: Ms. Dench and Ms. Blanchett are among the finest on the market today, and each can deliver expert performances, even when, as is the case here, their roles are false and hollow. The performers sell the goods, but the goods are cheap. . .
