Bright Star

Bright Star, the new film directed by Jane Campion, details the brief romance between poet John Keats, and girl next door, Fanny Brawne. In spite of some good acting by all of the principals, including Abbie Cornish as Fanny and Ben Whishaw as Keats, the film simply moves along at a snails pace. Initially, Fanny is unimpressed by Keats' poetic efforts, but they eventually grow close, and Fanny asks him to teach her about poetry and literature. Things get a little hotter, but since the film is rated PG, and Mr. Keats is not well for much of the film, much of their romantic activity consists of flowery verses and long looks. Okay, I'm not much of a poetry fan, and maybe that has tinged my critique to some degree, but frankly, this film just does not engage one enough to be truly worthwhile. This film is basically just a prestige production; without enough entertainment value.

Rating - 1 1/2 Stars