The Life and Deathof Peter Sellers (2004)
reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
LDPS is about the Academy Award nominated British actor, Peter Sellers, as he goes from radio stardom in England to his American notoriety, fueled by the popularity of "The Pink Panther" movies. In addition, we get to see women come in and out of Sellers' life, but we get to understand why Anne Sellers, his first wife, was his favorite. The picture also details how spoiled this comedic genius, as some critics call him, really was as an adult. Academy Award® winner Geoffrey Rush (Shakespeare in Love) plays Sellers and is flat out awesome. His performance was a great mix of Sellers' likeness and something of Rush's own. The role was extremely challenging, especially when he had to play Sellers, playing other characters in his life. It's tough to explain. You'll have to see the movie to know what I'm saying. The picture was a very interesting look at Sellers' private life and emotional disabilities, rather than focusing on JUST his career. In fact, his career only made up about one third of the picture. I loved how director Stephen Herek showed Sellers fighting off the Pink Panther franchise, since it was very well known the real Sellers absolutely hated himself in those pictures. The movie does well to show Sellers' misery in only being hired for "character" roles and not being able to play any part strait. Another aspect of the picture I loved was how it showed how Sellers' was NOT friends with directors like Stanley Kubrick and Blake Edwards. It did well to show Sellers ego get in the way of every comedy he did for Hollywood, AND how both directors fought him for power over each decision the production would make. Oscar® winner Charleze Theron (Monster) was pretty good as Sellers' second wife, while Emily Watson (The Boxer) was so-so as Anne Sellers. However, my favorite performances from the supporting cast came from Stanley Tucci (The Terminal) as Kubrick and John Lithgow (TV's Third Rock from the Sun) as Edwards. Both nailed their respective parts and brightened up a rather depressing biopic. The picture's best supporting performance came from Mariam Margulies (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) as Seller's mother Peg. Margulies was extremely thoughtful and consistent with a deeply important character. Peg was shown in detail why Sellers was such a spoiled brat as an adult. The picture's style is very odd. I enjoyed how Herek used an 8mm film look for some shots, since Sellers was known for his Bolex 8mm film collection of his kids. Herek's transitions were extremely unique; however, the picture itself is very unsettling. It definitely doesn't glorify Sellers, nor the Hollywood scene. Overall, I think "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" is very interesting but depressing. It is also very well acted, showing once again that HBO Pictures is starting to kick some serious a** with its original movie productions. I definitely think this biopic is worth renting. Benn - Where's the Humanity?
I love it when Hollywood actually depicts an actor or director in a more real likeness and not in a glorified manner. This is the case with the HBO made biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers."