Woman in Gold (2015)
Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover a world famous painting of her aunt plundered by the Nazis during World War II, she believes rightfully belongs to her family. She did so not just to regain what was rightfully hers, but also to obtain some measure of justice for the death, destruction, and massive art theft perpetrated by the Nazis.
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Helen Mirren is good and Ryan Reynolds is like James Stewart. Beautifully portrayed story of stolen artworks and man's inhumanity to man. Get comfortable for a well told story and just enjoy yourself.
I liked the movie and it tells an important story; however, throughout watching the movie I just kept asking myself - why Ryan Reynolds? Let's be honest, he'd be more believable as the poster boy for the Hitler youth movement than as his role playing the Jewish attorney Randy Schoenberg. I'm not suggesting that you have a Jew play a Jew, but Reynolds was so out of character that in my opinion it detracted from the film. Perhaps they thought by have Reynold's as the male lead, they'd attract a larger audience. I guess we'll never know one way or the other.
I watched the trailer and immediately was drawn to this for several reasons - namely Helen Mirren is one of my favorite actresses and I knew she would do well in this role, and also the fact that this was based on true events dealing with such an incredible part of our history that shouldn't be forgotten. They story line was well laid out and kept me very invested through the entire movie, and I was surprised at how involved Ryan Reynolds becomes personally involved in the adventure. The history that was woven into the present day was absolutely top notch - magical. I was so affected after it was over - it really made me reflect on my heritage and about my posterity. I think everyone should watch this movie.
After seeing the actually painting at the Neue Galerie in New York City, I wanted to see the movie behind it. I was not disappointed. Of course the acting is great, who doesn't love Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds was a super huge surprise as well as Daniel Bruhl, but it is the story that captivates. As beautifully done as the painting is, the movie also takes you on a beautiful, sometimes intense, haunting ride through a very painful part of history. Going back and forth between the contemporary age where Maria Altmann is trying to recover what is rightfully hers to the past when the painting was stolen you gain an understanding of the pain and fear of the time. It is one I will purchase to watch again and again.