An English friend introduced me to Billy Connolly many years ago, telling me he was "the funniest man in the world." And that he may be (check out his comedy performances--he is amazing); but his dramatic talents haven't always been well used. In "Mrs. Brown" he is flat-out brilliant. Judi Dench got more awards (and she was excellent) but Connolly's performance is layered, oracular, ornery, charismatic, overwhelming. He seems like the soul of Scotland, wrapped in a passionate, sometimes dysfunctional, sometimes rewarding relationship with an England (and its queenly personification) which thinks itself superior but cannot conquer. I thought it was the best work anyone did in any film in 1997 and am sorry he didn't get more attention--and better roles in other films. (Beautiful Joe? The Imposters? Please.)
Review of Mrs. Brown
