Diagonaldi Very well executed

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Sherazade I'm from the UK, but there's only so much of these typical period pieces that I can take. Gosh! the governess was very tasking for me, although it was refreshing to see a woman like the Jewish governess Minnie Driver plays here, exist and hold her own within that time frame. She is sent to go work as a governess in the home of Tom Wilkinson's character (who inadvertently falls in love with her) and sooner than later she becomes the center of the household for more reasons than one. The master's children are smitten with her, her mistress loathes but tolerates her and she (Driver) induces and nurtures an affair so scandalous with the man of the house that it is probably what inspired the son (played by Johnathan Rhys Myers) to come after her as well. The whole premise is sick, and nobody wins in the end. It was well-acted but that's about all I can say for it. Sorry if I truly spoiled the synopsis of this film for you but, I just couldn't help but tell it like it is. I have initiated the spoiler alert check-mark so please don't be too offended with my review.

Andy (film-critic) The Governess was, by far, a very pitiful film. I do not use this word loosely, as it honestly was a poor excuse for a movie. I finished watching this feature with only one word on my mind … "why"? Honestly, you could use this question at the end of every scene of this film and it would seem like it fit. There were so many inconsistencies that lead to a lack of development (both in the story and in the characters) which ultimately lead to a very confusing film with actors walking through the motions instead of giving any explanation. Scenes would occur with no foreshadowing, understanding, or drive to a complete ending. It was as if I was watching several different ideas thrown together without really any resolution. Actors were setting events in motion that did not seem to fit their character or really were resolved. This was my biggest issue with this film. The complete and utter lack of structure to this film brought all specks of foundation crumbling down with a genuine "ripple-effect" being felt throughout the rest of the film as a result.Let me explain myself further on this lack of consistency throughout the film. I would liken this film to a bowl of lumpy oatmeal that had a zebra in it. It made no sense nor was there any logic behind it all. Minnie Driver was the worst culprit of this deed. Her character's lines were drawn very fuzzy and nearly transparent. She would do things like talk about sex all the time with her sister, but yet she seemed very open to sexual experiences all the time. She has her first moment of passion in this film, and there is no pain or excitement. It nonchalantly happens, and this just didn't seem to fit the original conversation that we had at the beginning of the film with Rosina and her sister. She is a very intelligent woman that accidentally finds a solution to Wilkinson's problem and suddenly wants full rights to his invention? That was confusing and completely random. Is it not obvious to anyone else that her teaching methods were non-existent. Anyone in their right mind could see that she wasn't teaching Cavendish's daughter anything. The sudden and awkward relationship that randomly forms between Driver and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers nearly had me laughing out loud. I thought maybe I had discovered some magic in this film as Rhys-Meyers literally "poofed" into the scene and suddenly caused some unneeded drama. It felt that the director (or writer) was thinking that the original story was going nowhere fast, so by adding this random character we may be able to advance the plot a bit (or confuse the lesser film enthusiasts). Well, it didn't fool me, I saw that he was nearly a "cut-and-paste" character used to strengthen an already weakened story. Don't get me started on the ending, which had no consistency to the rest of the story. Again using the "cut-and-paste" method, the writer of this film needed a way to just end the story, and this was the only solution they could arrive to. It is sad when actors are forced to do things out of character … but I guess that is the name of the game in Hollywood. Fix until completely broken, or at least salvageable.The remainder of the story was unexciting dribble. There were maybe a handful of neat cinematography moments where you could see that there was one sliver of creativity trying to peak through coupled with some bars of decent, period piece music, but nothing to write to Grandma about. More family structure with some stronger introductions could have strengthened this film a bit more, but as I stated before, by leaving open-ended scenes just lying around the entire film, you will experience a crack in your foundation. What may seem like a sturdy story, will eventually wear down over time, and by the end of this film I felt that the house was crumbling down on top of me. Wilkinson plays his normal self in this film, while Driver apparently did not want to get naked, but everyone else had too (I will have to see a doctor after those images were burned into my eyes … eeewwww). Also, she wore the same dress everyday. That was disgusting and I could smell her through the television. Sex and dirty laundry. Now there is a great film for you! There just seemed to be some potential floating around here, but instead it was just rubbish. Nothing was answered, questions seemed to fall like snow in Alaska, and mediocrity seemed to reign supreme.Overall, this could have been a decent film that combined the powerful themes of science and love together, but instead it was just pitiful. I cannot stress enough the disturbing fact that characters were going through motions without any sort of pre-explanation. I don't need cinematic moments handed to me like a child, but something should have been done to build a foundation. Just remember the oatmeal with a zebra analogy that I used. If you were as confused about that as I was, then you will completely understand the film The Governess, while if you prefer zebras in your oatmeal … then, maybe this film is for you!Grade: * out of *****

kellyadmirer Minnie Driver is cute and photogenic. While the male characters are charming, she is the main draw. My own observation is that Driver was a bit mature to be playing a naive young virgin forced out into the cold, cruel world, but she is fetching and made for this part.Now that that is out of the way, I found the film unsatisfying. The title character is largely unsympathetic. A spoiled rich girl forced to find gainful employment after the death of her father, Driver embarks on an elaborate deception. She pretends to be a Christian so that she may service - in more ways than one, it turns out - a remote, conservative British family. That this is somewhat fanciful (perhaps there were jobs closer by that paid more than 20 pounds a year?) draws a romance novel aura right from the start.Once ensconced in the busom of her employer's family - passing herself off as being of Italian descent when the other characters all but give her knowing winks - our heroine proceeds to: a) seduce the married patriarch (she is hardly a victim) who is disturbingly reminiscent of her own beloved papa; b) betray him with his emotionally immature son; c) photograph him sleeping nude without his knowledge or consent, which he later makes clear invaded his privacy; d) actively seek to break up his family by having him run away with her; and e) publicly expose (!) him to his family using her misbegotten photographs. Perhaps he had it coming because his qualms arose too late, but he winds up the most sympathetic figure, victim of an avenging poseur with no sense of responsibility for her actions.The governess winds up having the presence of mind upon leaving to steal the new-fangled photography idea (which she has improved despite having no background in it - plucky girl!) and to go into business for herself, becoming (of course) a huge success. Can't have a romance tale without the big success-is-the-best-revenge payoff, I suppose, especially at the what-goes-around-comes-around expense of the fellow who hurt her.The character of the patriarch is nicely, if stiffly, played by Tom Wilkinson. Once he ends the affair, he loses all color and interest - he becomes part of the scenery, as he was before the affair began. The son is played in an annoyingly bratty fashion by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. The other female characters are largely ciphers, except for some cute scenes by little Florence Hoath. The overall effect is that everyone is filtered through the governess' perspective and her changing emotional priorities, in keeping with the romance novel attitude.Driver's characterization is a bit erratic. After maintaining a cool, calculating exterior, the governess incongruously explodes into a fit of sobbing passion some time after being rejected - then just as suddenly resumes her passionless, predatory behavior. More time devoted to her emotional development would have been useful.While by nature your standard bodice-ripper - Driver quite literally rips off her own bodice - I term this a proto-feminist film. The caveats are that the "feminist" impulses arise in a catty and under-handed context and the heroine seems more driven by spite and desire than by intent. She encounters adversity, then adventure and romance, then betrayal and bitter revenge, then brilliant success - yes, I think I've seen that plot before.

George Parker Driver plays a Jewess in 19th century Scotland who poses as a gentile and takes a governess position to provide income for her family following her father's death. An artistically and technically excellent film, "The Governess" is flawed to the detriment of the overall effort. Driver's character grows ambiguous and the film wears on; the juxtaposition of the Jewish and Christian is overwrought; the male lead is not sufficiently charismatic; and the story stutters at the end which is anticlimactic at best. Nonetheless, well worth a look especially for Driver fans.