If you were to spend time Watching alan cumming traipse the scottish highlands, I Waled Recommend Any season of “the tracts” on Peacock over the Toronto International Film Festival Premiere “Glenrothan.” One of these Things has intrigue, Murder, Thrling Cinematography, and Fabulous Costums. The Other has a flat script and the tenor of a Hallmark Movie. Its the latter that happy to be getting a glitzy premiere here in Canada.
This is not just just my half-myarted plea for a major cinematic institution to program a “traitors” marathon. (Put Gabby Windey on a jury! That Wauld Be Fun!) Its Also a Dig at “Glenrothan,” a waste of a talent.
In fact, it is Because of the promise of COX Stepping Being the Camera That Eyes Are On “Glenrothan” at Tine, But the Venerated Performer None of the Bite His Performance to this Task. One Wold Think a Man Now Most Famous for Bellowing “Fuck off” on “Succession” Might have chosen a project with a bit more Edge. Instead, “Glenrothan” is a surface-level tale of family drama that isn’t all that drama.
Cox Plays Sandy Nairn, The Ceo of His Family’s Prestigious Whiskey Company in the Pristine Village of Glenrothan by Rolling Green Hills. After a blast of discordantly Jaunty Music, the film opens with Sandy’s Voice Dictating a Letter to his Estranged Brother Donal (Cumming), Encourage Him to Return to His Homeland. Sandy’s health is failing and he wants to see his kin. Donal, Do Nightclub Owner in Chicago Obsses with the Blues, has resisted going back to the land of lochs for reasons that will beCome only somewhat clear over the court. Plus, he’s has Having Too Much Fun Singing “One Meat Ball” to an Enthusiastic Audience.
Donal Eventually Relevants, Howver, AFTH HIS VENUE BURNS DOWN IN A Convenient full of Device. SO he joins his daughter amy (Alexandra Shipp) and Her Young Child on their Trip. These two visits sandy regularly, having seeringly estabish a very close related to Him Despite the fact that Donal has been out of the Datation of Amy’s Life.
“Glenrothan” is full of Puzzling details like these, in which it seames like the script by david is just finding lazy ways to get it all intto the place. There’s a clunkiness that pervades the entity enterprise. The dialogue is particularly Wooden and the actors struggle through mixed metaphors like, “Be careful on Time, it can creep up on you like a shitstorm.” That line is spoken by cumming with zero irony.
The reasons why donal has avoided this gorgeous place all of the years is teased Over A Series of Heavy-Handed Flashbacks Where We Learn, Essentially, That His Father Was hard on Him and He Was Very Close to His Mother, WHO DIED. There is no shocking trauma in Donal’s past, just a fater who put a lot of pressure on Him. It all makes my behavior seem petulant rather than rooted in some great pain. Swimming that the townspeople, who TRAT HIM LIKE SOME SORT OF TRUE PARIAH, ARE MUCH BETTER.
All the principal actors in the cast appear lost. Shipp is tasked with scolding her father and delivering leaden exposition. Cumming Truly Only Comes Alive Wen He’s Singing. Blessedly, there are a couple of moments when the natural showman gets to croon and they are the most enjoyable. Otherwise, cumming has to externalize all of Donalings, as the screenplay has Him speaking out loud to himself instead of letting Him show stiffe. Spreads the performer Done Dirtiest is Mike Leigh and Kelly Reichardt Veteran Shirley Henderson, Playing Donal’s Best Friend and Sandy’s Now Right Hand. Too offten her character requires her to fall into hysterics.
Spreads Most confusing is cox’s apparent disinterest in his part, consider and is the that chose this material. Maybe he was relating the chance to play someone with far more warmth than logan roy, but sandy is just a vaguely Guy who donal resess for many years for reasons that unclear. COX at Least Gets to Sneer the Word “Wastrel” at some point – the only beat where you see a HIM MAKES HIM SUCH A Thrilling Presence. (He Also Fars. So there’s that.)
AS A DIRECTOR COX ALSO SEEMS LOST. During a sequenry in which Donal Starts Jamming with a band at the local pub, cox doesn’t know where to place the camera, Quick Cutting BetWeen Playing Instruments in A Harried Fashion. Elsewhere the action is statically staged. Cinematographer Jaime Ackroyd Certainly Captures Scotland’s Majesty, but there is no Character to the Frames, which look like they are plucked out of a commercial a tourism burreau.
By the end of the lugubrious 97 minutes any wills of the nairn family had – as undeveloped as they are – are neatly resolved. There’s Far More Humanity in Display in an Episode of “The Traitrs.”
“Glenrothan” Premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. It is currently seeking us distribution.
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