Hysteria

 
So, I know I said that I was going to review A Royal Affair, and I know it's been quite a while, but seriously, if you had to choose between a period drama and a period sex romp, which would you choose? Let the innuendo and puns flow (both of which I am not very good at)! Oh, this is probably the most awkward film I have seen with my mum. Especially when it features a film where Jonathan Pryce masturbates a middle-aged woman that just goes on and on.... Not that you see anything. Everything is very nicely hidden beneath skirts and curtains. I've heard the term woman porn be used for those movies that have pretty much everything a woman could want in order to escape from the mundane, and this is certainly that. It's got a period setting, a male lead who's not bad on the eyes, good acting, woman's rights (if you're into that sort of thing), sex comedy (if you're into that sort of thing) and beautifully designed costumes and sets. Yep, woman porn.


Set in the 1880's, Hugh Dancy stars as Dr Mortimer Granville, a doctor who after being fired from many hospitals for his radical ideas starts to work for Dr Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce), London's leading expert in women's hysteria. Hysteria is basically an umbrella term for any housewife who is unhappy or bored with her situation. The way doctors treated hysteria was through masturbation, because they believed that the only way that women could feel pleasure was through penis penetration. After a few weeks/months (sense of time? what sense of time!), Granville's hand starts to cramp up so much so that he starts to fail at getting any women off. While moaning to his friend Lord Edmund St. John-Smyth (Rupert Everett, chewing scenery gloriously), a bored dandy who experiments with electricity, he discovers that the vibrations given off from an invention of his gives off pleasurable tinglings. And thus, the vibrator is discovered!

Oh, this is so silly! This is pretty much a full 90 minutes of sexy silliness with witty Victorian banter featuring a slight bit of woman's rights stuff thrown in. Of course, the orgasm is the metaphor for freedom, but I was kinda distracted during the big courtroom scene cause the lawyer was one of the actors from Anton Chekhov's The Duel, and his teeth had gotten even weirder. The women's rights thing sort of takes a back seat to the sex jokes and awkward situations. But there are some sweet moments between Granville and Maggie Gyllenhaal's Charlotte Dalrymple, a feminist who runs a halfway home and Robert Dalrymple's daughter, where the characters discuss what could happen in the future for women, much to Granville's amusement. But even though we've seen Maggie Gyllenhaal's character in a dozen other movies set around this time period, this version of the early feminist seems to be more realistic probably because those around her react they way they probably would've in that time period.

Anyway, back to the sex. If you like watching befuddled gentlemen, then this is the movie for you! It is most definitely not historically accurate at all, and very romantic. But hey, it's enjoyable! The afore-mentioned Jonathan Pryce masturbation scene and the end credits (where we see pictures of different models of vibrators through history) are probably the places where I laughed the most, because they were the most tongue-in-cheek and fun (and awkward when sitting next to a parent). In all honesty, I would've preferred it if there were more moments like that, but the film chooses to focus on the budding romance between Charlotte and Granville, or on the ridiculousness that hysteria is. But it's still fun! That's pretty much the most I can say about this movie, it's fun. And woman porny.

Acting wise, everyone is good. I've been a bit iffy about Hugh Dancy in the past because he seemed to be a bit of a teen actor, but he is so adorable in this it's hard to hate him. I love Jonathan Pryce and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and they were excellent as usual. Rupert Everett had the best lines, and was hamming up his part charmingly. Anne Sheridan (who I only know from Jonathan Creek) also stole the scenes she was in as prostitute-come-maid, Molly. The only one I had a problem with was Felicity Jones as Dalrymple's other daughter Emily, but that's mainly cause her character was so boring that I didn't even bother to talk about her.

In the end, I would class this as one of those gentle British comedies loosely based on something that happened, like both Kinky Boots and Mrs. Henderson Presents. It's a nice escapist movie, where you may have a few giggles, enjoy the scenery and just relax for a little while. However, if you are a little prudish *coughDavidStratton* you may be a little put off by the many orgasm scenes and montages. I do recommend that you check out Margaret and David's review just to see David acting all awkward, and getting berated by Margaret. So yeah, if you're a fan of British comedy, this should enjoy! Just don't go see it with your mother...