Woman In Gold

Bronze at best.

Woman in Gold is a film based on the true story of a Jewish refugee’s battle against the Austrian government to reclaim a family painting stolen by Nazis. It’s not just any painting. It’s Klimt's 1907 The Lady In Gold, the Mona Lisa of Austria.

It’s a fascinating 60-year story. And although the movie is not 60-years long, Simon Curtis, the director of the memorable My Week With Marilyn, tells it in the most boring fashion one could imagine.

It doesn’t help that the snooze-inducing and soulless Ryan Reynolds plays the key lawyer role. I don’t know why he was chosen — I suppose someone thought he looks cute in glasses? He is matched well with Katie Holmes, who generated unintended laughs by playing his wife in a tone that seems like she's doing another film. On the positive side, she does have some cute outfits to showcase.

Helen Mirren was obviously up for the emotional task of playing the elder Jewish refugee with a claim to the painting, but she has too much depth to play such a passive character to the action of the film and does not pair well with Reynolds.

I'm left to wonder what this film might have been with Mark Ruffalo or Eddie Redmayne.

Simply put: The Monument’s Woman: another non-masterpiece about seized art from the WWII era.

Award potential: A Weinstein film about art, starring Helen Mirren — released in March? Obviously no one is expecting any awards.

The ten buck review: Not worth ten bucks.