Odelecol
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Anssi Vartiainen
Glenn Close plays the titular character Albert Nobbs in this 19th century period drama. Times are tough and women are not encouraged to seek out their own fortunes. Which is why Mr. Nobbs is hiding her true gender in order to be able to work. But things are knocked out of balance when he meets Mr. Paige (Janet McTeer), who's hiding a secret of his own.Albert Nobbs isn't overly complicated in story. Or in ambition, for that matter. Certainly the premise itself can be somewhat controversial, but in modern world it's pretty much accepted that women should have the same opportunities as men. Naturally it wasn't always so, and this film rather nicely explores the lengths some women had to go to in order to earn a living.This central theme is the one thing the film has to give, the rest being mere window dressing. Not to say those things don't have merits of their own, but the film wouldn't stand out on them alone. For example, Nobbs eventually has a love interest, Helen (Mia Wasikoswska), who has a love interest of her own, Joe (Aaron Johnson). The problem with those two is that they're very stereotypical young people in love. It would have been more interesting if Helen, for example, was torn between Albert and Joe.Still, this film has a lot to offer. Could it have been better? Certainly, but it's far from bad as it is.
SnoopyStyle
In 19th century Dublin, Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) is a woman living as a man in order to work as a hotel waiter. She is a very particular man who has been saving to buy a tobacco shop. She gets found out when the owner Mrs. Baker (Pauline Collins) hires painter Hubert Page (Janet McTeer) and puts him in her room. Then Hubert reveals that he is also a woman. Unemployed Joe Mackins (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) lies his way into the hotel to get the job of repairing the boiler. Joe is soon sleeping with the maid Helen Dawes (Mia Wasikowska). Albert starts courting Helen but Joe convinces Helen to steal the money for passage to America.It's somewhat fascinating to see the cross-dress acting but the story is really slow. The mannerisms are so odd that it is offputting. Also we know who Glenn Close is and some even Janet McTeer. There is something missing when we know that they are OBVIOUSLY women although nobody is suppose to know. There is a good sense of danger from discovery. However it needs to do much more. None of the characters are sympathetic. Nobbs is delusional. Joe is an obvious creep. Helen is just as much of a schemer or really dumb. I don't think I care for any of the characters.
namashi_1
'Albert Nobbs' offers Awesome Performances, which in turn, turns out to be its biggest merit. Here's an ensemble cast who deliver the best! 'Albert Nobbs' Synopsis: Albert Nobbs struggles to survive in late 19th century Ireland, where women aren't encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man, so she can work as a butler in Dublin's most posh hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.As a film, 'Albert Nobbs' is depressing & long. The story is saddening & what its characters go through, is unsettling. Even the excessive running-time of over 113-minutes, seems stretched. Glenn Close, John Banville & Gabriella Prekop's Screenplay is tragic, but it has some moments of power. Rodrigo García's Direction is decent. Cinematography, Editing & Art Design, are super.Performance-Wise: Glenn Close is outstanding as Albert Nobbs. The legendary actress sinks her teeth into the part & brings it out with flying colors. Janet McTeer is incredible in a strong supporting role. Also, The on-screen chemistry between Close & McTeer, is amazing. Mia Wasikowska is splendid. Aaron Johnson is efficient. Brendan Gleeson is a delight to watch.On the whole, 'Albert Nobbs' deserves a watch for its performances!
bregund
I remember reading somewhere that Glenn Close has been playing this character on stage for thirty years, and it certainly shows in her performance. Close vanishes so completely into her character that in some scenes, you forget that it's her. It's easy to watch this film simply for the novelty of wondering how a woman could successfully pass herself off as a man, but after the novelty wears off you're exposed to the grayish layers of her marginalized existence, constant fear of being discovered, and what must be unbearable loneliness, all characteristics which Close portrays through her simple facial expressions and even her bodily movements, as she walks around the hotel performing mundane servant's tasks. It's difficult not to feel some sympathy for her simple desire to operate a small tobacco shop and get married to a woman, an idea planted in her head by a towering painter who shares her secret. But her simple desire for domestic bliss is doomed not by her secret, but because she is incapable of demonstrating affection; for Mr. Nobbs, marriage is a philosophical construct, not a conjoining of souls. The end of this film is unbearably sad, made doubly so by a financial injustice that leaves a sour taste in the mouth. Despite Close's brilliant performance, the film feels flat; perhaps it's best viewed as a character study, since it seems bereft of story.
