CRIT-O-MATIC.Byline: David Kronke GIDEON'S DAUGHTER Gideon's Daughter is the second of two linked BBC television dramas written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. Produced independently for the BBC by talkbackTHAMES and starring Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson, and Emily Blunt, it aired in the UK on BBC One on February (BBC America BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, which was launched on March 29, 1998, available on both cable and satellite. It is one of two BBC branded channels broadcast in the United States, the other being global news channel, BBC World. ; 9 tonight) Logline: The incomparable Bill Nighy stars as Gideon Warner, a burned-out British PR genius on the brink of estrangement from his daughter Natasha (Emily Blunt). As England responds to the death of Princess Diana, Gideon takes up with Stella (Miranda Richardson), a divorced woman with a more private tragedy, the loss of her son in a traffic accident. His romance with the lower-class Stella threatens his standing in his own company, even as its success explodes. Pros: One devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. scene finds Warner sitting at a school assembly where his daughter performs a song that cuts a little too close to the bone, about a daughter's troubled relationship with her promiscuous father. Cons: The depiction of some of the public-relations' world's overbearing characters can be overly obvious. In a nutshell: Writer/director Stephen Poliakoff (who also did the Emmy-winning "The Lost Prince") offers a subtle, insightful rumination rumination /ru·mi·na·tion/ (roo?mi-na´shun) 1. the casting up of the food to be chewed thoroughly a second time, as in cattle. 2. on the manufacturing of emotion and genuine grief. Not a real firecracker of a theme, perhaps, but Poliakoff handles it with a moving delicacy, and Nighy's performance is one of rueful rue·ful adj. 1. Inspiring pity or compassion. 2. Causing, feeling, or expressing sorrow or regret. rue understatement. Our rating: Three and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (``GIDEON'S DAUGHTER'') |
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