LIZ AND DICK (2012)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
I can't say I am knowledgeable of Elizabeth Taylor's marital woes with Richard Burton, or whether Burton was insanely jealous of Liz's Oscar wins or how fed up he really was of never winning the coveted Oscar. Critics excoriated this Lifetime movie biography "Liz and Dick" and, though I am hardly a stringent contrarian, I hardly agree with the bashing and wonder what the critics saw. That is not to say that "Liz and Dick" is an awesome achievement in the Hollywood biography genre, it is not, but it is entertaining and fluffy and often fun to watch despite the marital woes.
Many Taylor fans probably skipped viewing this film in light of Lindsay Lohan's casting but that would be a shame...because she is terrific. Lohan is the Liz of the 1960's, at the height of "Cleopatra" fame where she meets the hard-drinking Richard Burton (Grant Bowler) who admires her beauty. They don't get along, then they do, and then they start banging each other at her trailer every chance they get. Burton's own wife divorces him as a result, not to mention Liz's own divorce with Eddie Fisher (another love affair resulting in a scandalous marriage that could use its own Lifetime treatment), and thus begins a torrid love affair and two marriages that results in more drinking, popping pills, extravagant spending on yachts and parties, etc. Liz works on certain films only if Burton is cast and we get a sneak peek at "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - a triumphant film in its own right that could have used more insight. I mean, do I really care to see the behind-the-scenes drama of "The V.I.P's"?
"Liz and Dick" is largely episodic and has many abrupt transitions - sometimes a line of dialogue is leading to a punchline or a bigger truth only to be obliterated by an abrupt cut to the next scene. The last half-hour fast-forwards through their lives so rapidly that you are left with nothing to chew on. Despite some poor editing and odd casting choices (Brian Howe as film director Joseph Mankiewicz without a shred of sarcasm?), the movie lives and breathes by the empathy that Lindsay Lohan imbues Liz Taylor with - that is a plus. Grant Bowler might lack the hard-edginess of the real Richard Burton but he is a watchable enough screen presence. I also liked how the film shows the birth of the paparazzi (mostly thanks to Fellini) and how they followed Liz and Taylor everywhere. "Liz and Dick" is trashy television dramatics, yet Lohan and Bowler give it a lift.
