Washington Square

A film review by Christopher Null - Copyright © 2000 Filmcritic.com

Hardly a lush Merchant-Ivory epic, Jennifer Jason Leigh gets dumbed-down and uglified for her treatment in this adaptation of the Henry James novel, about a poor adventurer (Chaplin) who may or may not be after the wallflower's money. Father (Finney) disapproves, to the point where he hauls her off to Europe for a year. By film's end, dad is as stubborn as ever, which actually helps the two would-be lovers see things a bit more clearly. A great twist on the period piece, despite its maudlin sensibilities.

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Rating

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Cast and Crew

  • Director: Agnieszka Holland
  • Producer: Julie Bergman Sender, Roger Birnbaum
  • Screenwriter: Carol Doyle
  • Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Albert Finney, Ben Chaplin, Maggie Smith, Judith Ivey, Betsy Brantley, Jennifer Garner, Peter Maloney
  • MPAA Rating: PG