Hysteria is a clever, cheerful, hilarious and romantic comedy about a Doctor whose career leads to the inevitable invention of the worlds most popular sex toy: the Vibrator. The movie is also very female empowering and reminds us of the position women used to be In the 1880s.
Directed by Tanya Wexlers whose name doesnt seem to be familiar with anyone, according to IMBD this is her 3rd movie shes directed and so far the best reviewed one yet. I would say her job as a director was good, but I do felt towards the end with one significant scene, the pacing could have been a bit faster, still I felt the whole creative process of the film was done well. The Victorian era is well displayed here, the settings are good and feels like youre seeing two small parts of London with their own unique voices, and the costuming is rich with detail. The few original soundtracks in the movie are cheerful and go well with the Victorian era.
While Dr. Mortimer Granville (played by Hugh Dancy) is the main protagonist of the movie and its his career ventures that led to the discovery of the Vibrator, I still feel the best performance and most important character in the story is Charlotte Dalrymple (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and this is because of Maggies powerful, charming and emotional deliverance with her speeches, she reeks of passion, compassion and female empowerment! She is truly a Wonder Woman! I loved her performance and hope she receives some recognition.
Lord Edmund St. John-Smythe (Rupert Everett) is the Han Solo of the movie. Hes a minor supporting character with a few scenes, but every scene he appears, its very hilarious and he comes off with very genuine charm and then there is Molly the Lolly (Sheridan Smith), the once ****e woman who is now a rather naughty French maiden, oh how I wish she could have her own spin-off just for my desires! A blogger can dream, right?
Hysteria at its core is not the most unique romance movie, in fact it becomes rather obvious who falls in love and how their character stories end, but this after all is based upon true events, so perhaps history truly can be a bit cliché as ideas transcend from time to time and adapt to its current society. I can warmly recommend this romance comedy to everyone.
Dont let the trailer fool you into thinking this movie is all about the vibrator, this is truly about the people around that era and female empowerment plays a very important role towards the end and of course the basic principle that vibrators are truly an awesome invention.
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