On Monday evening, Gayle O’Leary attended Windsor Cinema for a preview of Glenrothan, the directorial debut of renowned actor Brian Cox in his “love letter to Scotland”, in which he also starred alongside Alan Cumming and Shirley Henderson. Here’s her review.
A watered down, sweet whisky blend of a movie.
Alan Cumming plays Donal Nairn, a self-proclaimed wanderer who, after his beloved Chicago jazz bar suffers a devastating fire, accepts the invitation of his older, estranged brother, Sandy (Brian Cox) to visit their highlands distillery home, with his family, for the first time in four decades.
Brian Cox deviates from his bread and butter of inhabiting chilling dark roles to play a gentle soul. I think I understand what he was trying to do with his portrayal of Sandy as an endearing yet withering, reflective septuagenarian with no agency – but it doesn’t work. He shuffles after his family members and apparently keeps the 200 year distillery not just surviving but thriving, a mystery as there isn’t the faintest sign that he understands a thing about it, unlike Shirley Henderson’s stoic, pragmatic master distiller character. In fact, we never even see glimpses of the whisky distilling process or hear any insights into how it is made, excluding one regretful blending scene. That’s it. Really?
When he isn’t bashing away the blues on a piano or riding on a motorcycle in extended filler montages, Donal slinks around the picturesque greens doing his best impression of a brooding James Dean wearing a yellowed 50 year old leather jacket, sucking desperately away at a cigarette one too many times. Yes, we get the metaphor, it’s an adult pacifier. This is a man in his early sixties. Yes, he remains fabulous but it’s strange to see him trying to pass for a sulking teenager.
Despite those qualities, Donal’s strong willed daughter (Alexandra Shipp) and even more strong willed granddaughter warm the heart and whip both men into shape. Their scene inserts seem more for the purpose of driving the morality of the characters rather than adding depth to the story, even with their clear affection for Donal and Sandy. I am puzzled about how they came to be so firmly embedded in Sandy’s life, though, given Donal apparently hadn’t returned to his home for so long. How did they become acquainted with Sandy, Donal’s estranged brother? How do they visit so often, given her status as a single mother and income exclusively from a now destroyed jazz bar? So many unanswered questions.
Perhaps they were desparate to maintain the PG13 rating, but for all the anguish and torment expressed by Cumming’s character, we were bewildered to find that the source of a 40 year self-imposed banishment from his beloved Scotland was… a strict father? Moderately strict? Rather, a reasonably don’t-break-into-my-cabinet-and-touch-the-priceless-whisky strict father than one genuinely typical of the era.
For those who’ve seen Alan Cumming’s mini series travelling around Scotland, you’ll know he has his own terrible history with such a father which, sadly, gave credibility to his role as protagonist here.
Thankfully, that era is long gone for most but the important point there is that this behaviour was normalised. It was damaging, but not usual. But it’s used as the impetus for the entire story.
Naturally the drawcard of the movie will be the generous serves of flabbergasting scenery. There are some touching and funny moments that got a few laughs. A bit forced. More befitting a snoozy summer evening after a big dinner during the holidays than a cold midyear night in Perth. The dialogue itself is overcooked, cheesy, sometimes a bit hammy and out of place. I’d believe you if you told me AI generated most of it using corny Christmastime flicks and Scottish tropes as source material.
In other words, no, jazz and the highlands are not a good mix.
4 out of 10 stars.
Luna Windor is holding another launch event for this film on 28 June, accompanied by Perth Scottish Fiddlers and whisky. Perhaps that will be better for getting audiences in the mood.
* By Gayle O’Leary. If you’d like to catch up on more by Gayle here on Fremantle Shipping News, look right here!
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