User reviews

This movie is a seven. Oddly enough, with better writing, maybe a stronger plot with the right twists and turns, this could've easily been a nine maybe even a rock solid ten.

The performances here are some of the very best of 2023.

Richard E. Grant. Has he been knighted yet? He needs to be. I have never seen him give less than one hundred percent in every role he's ever occupied. Even Spice World. Yup. Spice World. The last film that I saw him in, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, he was spectacular. In The Lesson, he again ascends to great heights. He shows the depth, maturity and wisdom to play a highly-respected author of contemporary English literature.

His gorgeous wife, played by the elegant Julie Delpy.

Delpy in Killing Zoe was a career defining and most memorable performance.

Not surprisingly In The Lesson, she is the petrol to the fire.

She and her husband, the brilliant writer share a massive and secluded home on a beautiful, rolling, presumably English (though it's Germany - I looked into it) country side.

They live with their youngest, university-bound son, Bertie, who is currently prepping for his college admissions.

Bertie is played by Stephen McMillan, and he is maybe the biggest, brightest star of the entire film.

Bertie lives in the cold shadows of his famous father and his recently deceased older brother. The only real warmth he receives is from his mother.

And so she has hired a tutor to assist in this lengthy and intense college admissions process.

The tutor, an aspiring writer with great admiration for the work of Grant's character and his process towards the craft. He's played by Daryl McCormack. A solid portrayal by a solid up and coming talent who has snagged a part in the upcoming 2024 sequel to Twister, Twisters.

And off we go!

Tutor and tutee grinding away on the reading, writing and interviewing aspects of the admissions process.

Deliciously presented dinners with the family by candlelight. Wining and dining. Rachmaninoff playing gently in the background.

The estate is breathtaking. Monet's Giverny it seems. Study sessions out in the fresh air off the garden.

Who wouldn't want this gig?

We soon find out, somewhat mysteriously, many.

Beware jobs with a high turnover rate.

Questions start to surface.

What exactly happened to the older brother, Felix?

And what happens to all of the tutors?

This is where the story should've really blasted off.

But it doesn't.

Punches are pulled.

It gives in and makes it easy.

This movie gets a seven because of all the incredible performances from all of the ensemble.

All of them.

Richard E. Grant is his generation's Ian McKellen.

It's true.

And one of King Charles' first acts should be to knight this fine actor.

A film of two halves, if you like.

Is it a drama? Yes, kind of. Is it a thriller? It tries to be.

The first half sets everything up nicely and with plenty of dramatic tension, inner familial strife and forebodings about the water, sexual temptation and especially, plagiarism. So far so good.

Then we have the turning point about an hour in, and after that, all reason takes a holiday.

Are we to believe that Liam can remember the contents of a whole book?

Are we to believe that all this was planned from the start? Was the butler in on it?

I am sure that IT consultants everywhere were shouting at the screen about the 'deletion' scene.

Having said all this, it was well acted even though all the characters are quite reprehensible, and relatively well made with a decent first hour.

In supposed thriller "The Lesson" aspiring writer Daryl McCormack (future huge star pending the right BIG role) is an English Lit tutor to Stephen McMillan, son of Julie Delpy & Richard E Grant (terrific) - whose other son killed himself two years prior. The domineering Grant's a once acclaimed author who's close to finishing his comeback novel, but in staying with the family at their beautiful, isolated home McCormack unearths secrets beneath their tension. Debut director Alice Troughton & debut writer Alex MacKeith tick the boxes, albeit with some clichés, to deliver a passable Brit-drama... that's sadly a tad too mild & predictable to be considered a true 'thriller'.

THE LESSON is a terrible title for an excellent film. It's an economically made film. It utilizes a small cast with only a handful of speaking roles. There are only two locales-a country estate (about 95% of the time) and a TV studio (the other 5%). The soundtrack orchestra is composed of only a few instruments. But it nonetheless comes off as rather classy. The situation is that a revered writer and his wife hire a tutor for their son whom they feel MUST be accepted by a prestigious college. The couple are both domineering. When they speak, it's an order. Their son is brilliant, but an emotional mess. The tutor is a handsome and articulate young man of mixed-race, who comes with sterling credentials (and is also an aspiring writer). The tutor lives in the house and sees a lot more than he would like to of the couple's private life. It turns out that a tragic event happened in this family five years earlier. What really happened and why? Gradually, one begins to see the complex web of relationships among the characters. Whose point-of-view should the viewer believe? This is an intelligent and challenging script, at times evocative of Tom Stoppard or Harold Pinter. The screenwriter, Alex MacKeith, is the real star of this movie. The cast are all fine, but I was a big Richard E. Grant fan to start with. He does not disappoint. Where I think the film falls short is in the pacing. It's a little flat. Every scene is played at the same level at the same pace. It could have used some peaks and valleys. It looks gorgeous though, with great art decoration and cinematography. Isobel Weller Bridge's musical score is just right.

The movie also has a lot of ideas about writing and writers. As Richard E. Grant's character says, "Good writers borrow; Great writers steal." There's a lot to this movie, but I don't want to spoil anything in this review. It would make a great double-bill with the documentary UMBERTO ECO-A LIBRARY OF THE WORLD. If you like Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard, you would probably enjoy this movie.

"Good writers borrow, great writers steal." J. M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant)

In director Alice Troughton's intriguing film, The Lesson, the three major characters of the film, viz, Sinclair; his art-curator wife, Helene; and Liam (Daryl McCormack), the tutor, are antagonists but of the very smart outer and menacing interior types. Because these enigmatic characters are performed by accomplished actors, it takes a while to figure out who's who, and what does each want from the other.

Starting with the above quote, each steals something like great authors do to manipulate the figurative stage of the elegant English country estate bounded by a pond with a notorious past. Namely, the drowning of one of Sinclair's sons, and his figurative presence that seems to affect each of them. The undercurrent of danger could be out of Poe.

As Liam settles into his job to tutor young son Bertie (Stephen McMillan), he is evidently obsessed with Sinclair's writing fame and vulnerable to Sinclair's criticism of his first novel. Liam is also vulnerable to Helene's charms as the plot thickens. Why such a bright young man couldn't anticipate the intrigues or why he signs agreements that need a lawyer's advice required my willing suspension of disbelief.

Writer Alex MacKeith never lets go of the notion that writing as a profession or art can send writers down a dark path. Sinclair has been working on this last novel for so many years that his fans think he has retired. Writer's block? Possibly, but the has enough demons to stop Shakespeare.

Isobel Waller-Bridge's score tinkles enough to suggest tranquility or at least art films in general. Anna Patarakina's cinematography captures languid summers at wealthy estates. Like the score, what's underneath is different from the accepted norms of the beautiful images. While the aforesaid Poe reminds us of the dangers in old mansion like The House of Usher, it is still a thrill to feel the tradition even in a modernized version such a Sinclair's. We learn from The Lesson not to accept anything for its surface. The underneath is what counts.

The Lesson is a summer delight far removed from the cacophony of blockbusters.

About 30 minutes into 'The Lesson' I had to look up its IMDb page to make sure I hadn't misread it being a thriller. It was off to a very slow start. That isn't to say I wasn't enjoying it, just that there was going to have to be a notable tone shift in order for that to be the case. And there was, but the whole time it felt like this movie was struggling to get out of first gear.

The film has a good cast and some decent dialogue and the story has 'potential' (for lack of a better term). It's just that everything feels a little half-baked. It never commits to anything. It isn't willing to pull the trigger and dare to be something great and memorable. The film reminded me a lot of 'Saltburn' (also starring Richard E. Grant in the father role funny enough), only a light version of that movie.

I really wanted to like this movie more. And I should be clear that I didn't dislike the movie by any means, I just felt that it could've been more than it ultimately was. 6/10.

As "The Lesson" (2023 release from the UK; 103 min) opens, we are introduced in the "Prologue" to Liam, who has just published his first novel and is sitting down for an interview. We then go back in time to "Part I" and Liam arrives at a large state in rural England, to become a private tutor to a young man whom Liam will prep for the Oxford entrance exam. The young man's dad is renowned writer J. M. Sinclair, who is working on a new novel. Helene, the mom, is there as well. At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the feature length debut of British director Alice Troughton, best known for he work on "Doctor Who". Here she brings a psychological thriller of sorts (not a fear-fest in any way). Given that this is a plot-heavy movie, the less that is said about that, the better. I will say that there was one plot twist I did not see coming at all, but that I also in my mind correctly predicted how the movie would end. The good news is that the lead performers are all super enjoyable, none more so that Richard E. Grant (as J. M. Sinclair). It wasn't until the movie end credits rolled that I realized that Helene is played by none other than Julie Delpy. I wasn't familiar with Daryl McCormick, who plays Liam. These are winning performances, period. The movie itself was ok but just ok.

"The Lesson" premiered at the recent Tribeca Film Festival to good acclaim, although I was a little surprised to see that this is currently rated 83% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which feels a little high to me. The movie was released this past weekend in limited theaters. The Tuesday early evening screening where I saw this at my local arthouse theater here in Cincinnati was attended dismally: 1 other person besides myself. If you are in the mood for a psychological thriller with great lead performances, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

All the actors in this disjointed, completely unbelievable movie have been excellent in other worthier films. The premise had promise, but the director's execution is trying so desperately to be "serious", it ends up being unintentionally comical. Grant's character is a cartoon villain and Delpy is hilarious as his sphinx-like wife. Macormack is fine but basically wasted in the role. It even has a weird butler who knows more than he should, but we never find out what that is. The kid is a typical sullen, tortured teenager. Many plot developments can be seen from a mile away. The setting is pretty though.

J. M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant) and Hélène Sinclair (Julie Delpy) have hired Liam Somers (Daryl McCormack) to tutor their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan). J. M. Is a successful writer and aspiring writer Liam worships him. The family is still traumatized by a previous tragic incident. In the opening flashforward, Liam is a new exciting writer and there is a suggestion that great writers steal their material.

The obvious takeaway from the opening is that Liam stole his book. It's either him or J. M. This is a bit of a slow burn. It takes its time to reveal its secrets. There could be more red herrings. When it's done, I think Liam could do more to trap and trick J. M. This is rather simple. On the plus side, the actors are doing good work. They make this good.

I'm a writer, so I was excited to watch a movie about writers. Unfortunately for a movie that was labeled "Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense" I found the movie to be neither thrilling or suspenseful, and I figured out the big mystery within the first half of the movie. The pace dragged so slowly that I kept pausing the movie to check how much time was left, hoping it was almost over.

The set and landscape was beautiful, can never go wrong with English country estates and gardens, especially the lake and bridge that remind me so much of Monet's "Bridge over a Lily Pond." As pretty as it is, the pace of the movie might have been better if there weren't so many unnecessary landscape shots and random shots of the water vole that resides at the lake.

Revered novelist JM Sinclair hires tutor Liam Somers to help his son Bertie gain a place at Oxford. Liam learns of a death at the family home, and sets about discovering the truth of what happened.

First of all, I have to comment about how poorly supported this film seems to have been, the trailer had me interested, seeing it has been tough, after just three nights, it's vanished, such a shame.

Sold as a thriller, I'm not sure that's the tagline I'd use, let's be honest it takes a long time to open up, and to move through the gears, it's a slow burner, but ultimately it's rewarding, it's well worth a few hours of your time.

The film does peak, and there's an unexpected twist, it's well worth waiting for, until then you have some lovely scenery, and some incredible acting, Richard E. Grant does of course deliver a phenomenal performance, but the whole cast are excellent, Daryl McCormack is currently featuring in The Woman in The Wall, but he's arguably best known for Peaky Blinders, a real talent.

Alice Troughton, a name that will be familiar to some, she's done a lot of TV workz, I will always be a fan, because of her direction on Doctor Who episode Midnight, for me that's hands down one of the best pieces of television of all time.

Some interesting nature shots throughout, great shots of the coypu.

8/10.

I was watching this for about ten minutes wracking my brain to remember where I'd seen Daryl McCormack before - then I recalled "Good Luck... Leo Grande" (2022). Well he's actually quite good in this too. It's quite a clever thriller about his aspiring young writer "Liam" who is offered the chance to tutor "Bertie" (Stephen McMillan) at his home. His father is renowned author "JM Sinclair" (a characterful effort from Richard E. Grant) and mother "Hélène" (Julie Delpy) an accomplished pianist and artist. "Bertie" is a bit recalcitrant but gradually, as "Liam" finds his feet, the two start to bond a little and the older man begins to realise that this family dynamic, still reeling from a previous tragedy, is not quite as idyllic and synchronistic as it appears. Quickly, we discover that the confident and rather domineering paternal figure is actually quite an intellectual bully and he has his own secret which "Liam" is going to be a pawn in bringing to light. It's actually Delpy who steals the film for me. Her's is obviously the puppet master-character and she gels well with McCormack as the plot unfolds towards a denouement that is both fitting and just a little bit surprising. Crispin Letts also adds a little bit of menace as the butler "Ellis" and the tight cast and decent writing help keep this taut and attractive to watch. It's just a little slow at the start, but I still quite enjoyed this.

If TS Elliot was right when he said "good writers borrow, great writers steal" then the author of this movie is can comfortably be called an original. This movie stinks. Nothing even remotely interesting or dramatic happens as you meet the characters in part 1. In part 2 you basically figure out the whole "plot" and where the tension will be in about 15 seconds. There is a moment where the movie says, "eh parts 1&2 are a different feel completely to part 3." So I'm thinking, ok maybe the movie is referencing itself and the closer will make up for the boringness of the first hour. But then Part 3 comes along and it's just as boring and predictable, no actions have consequences at all, all these people seem to not be living in the same plane of existence as each other, as they never reference the other person having done something. The ending makes zero sense. The whole thing makes zero sense. The only saving grace is that the lead actor is working very hard to try and make this into something and the scenery is beautiful.

No pun intended - our main character seems to be willing to learn, but also to teach ... but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We do see him in the now ... and then we go back and see how he got where he is now. And he got quite the good position ... is he worth it? Did he do the things he was supposed to? There are quite a few things we are about to find out - not just about him.

A really well selected cast - which is quite necessary, considering the story that has to be told. If you like your thrillers to be quite mysterious, but also a bit dark, you could do worse. I expect some people to be able to see through some of the twists ... but still even if you expect something to happen ... the movie will be able to shock at least some of the viewers ... in a good way.

But this film was boring. The beginning had promise, was giving of 'call me by your name' vibes, as movie went on it just got progressively worse. Intently slow through beginning to end, with no character development or emotional attachment to any of the characters. A thriller with no twists, just hours of suspense that lead to a very basic ending that made no sense. I wouldn't waste your time with this movie, it was trying to hard to be artistic and serious but the whole premises basic and underdeveloped. The story never progressed and we never learned anything about the characters or motives. We never learn why the father is like how he is or more about the other son, felix, to me seems to be the most interesting character.

The Lesson is another example of a script that would have never in a million years been greenlit before the age of streaming. But now with every streaming service starving for content, we keep seeing stories that are not in the least bit worthy of a movie.

Boredom is turned up to the max. Intrigue is nowhere to be found. On numerous occasions I thought to myself, "I DON'T CARE." When things finally start happening later in the movie, it doesn't come close to justifying the amount of time it took to get there. Like, really? That's where it's going?

I'm a movie fiend. It doesn't take much to get me hooked. So when I watch a movie that can't hook me, I see it as a complete failure. It's not actively bad, but there is zero here for me.

(1 viewing, 1/11/2024)

Regret to waste my time to watch this thin-plotted movie. Director failed to build up the characters of different roles. This is a pretentious movie unsuccessfully disguised as intellectual and sensual. The result is a empty shell with nothing inside except seconds of "meant-to-be" visually artistic shots. All actors and actress do not deliver their parts, make the roles in the movie seem "acting on their own". But who's to blame, in such wishy-washy movie.

Could you believe that there are still people using pen and papers to "write" their books? Are you kidding me? Is the director living in the 19th century?

Oh dear! What a terrible film. Pretentious and silly with the most ghastly intrusive music. Repetitive music.

I can't think why it was described as a 'thriller', the story was derivative, predictable and boring. Nothing thrilling about it at all and NO surprises. There was something particularly irritating about the way in which 'writers' were apparently revered by the characters, as if writing itself conferred automatic status.

The best actor was the teenage boy who at least managed to convey some level of emotion.

The house they lived in was equally improbable with a butler and no other staff.

I found it very difficult to suspend disbelief about any element of this film.

It's a psychological drama set in modern times on an Irish estate owned by a famous novelist and his family. It follows the experiences of a tutor hired to help the younger son prepare for university interviews.

J. M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant) is an honored and successful novelist who has not released new work for five or more years. He is married to Hélène (Julie Delpy), who sells art. Their older son, Felix (Joseph Meurer), committed suicide two years earlier. The younger son, Bertie (Stephen McMillan), has gone through several tutors. Liam Somers (Daryl McCormack) is a graduate student who has extensively studied Sinclair's literary work and worked on his own first novel for several years.

Liam soon discovers the Sinclair family estate holds a lot of eccentricity and tension within its walls. He is periodically invited to join the family the dinner and develops a decent relationship with Bertie. Hélène seems protective of both J. M. and Bertie, but with an aloof edge. Any mention of Felix is forbidden, and the nearby pond where Felix died is off-limits. Liam's bedroom window allows him to observe much, and J. M. soon requires Liam's computer skills as he tries to complete his new novel. Liam's photographic memory also comes in handy.

Suddenly, everything goes off the rails as we learn more about Felix's death and the reasons for Sinclair's writer's block.

I found "The Lesson" an engaging mystery. Grant is a great arrogant novelist, and Delpy is a delicious conniving matriarch. McCormack is also convincing. The plot unfolded nicely until the very end when I thought it took an unrealistic turn. Nonetheless, I liked "The Lesson." The pacing and cinematography were good.

One of the best movies of the year, the acting and direction are all on point.

A young tutor played by the excellent Daryl McCormack goes to teach the son of a famous ( now largely thought retired author) played by Richard E Grant.

The setting is the beautiful home of said author.

The wife played by Julie Delpy and the son, played by Stephen Mcmillan seem remote, cut off and an air of sadness exudes the movie.

The character played by Grant seems domineering, the master in his castle that no one appears to want to cross or even slightly displease.

The story changes when the tutor gets involved in the latest book that Grant is writing, this in turn ties in to the death of the other son of Grant and Delpy Felix.

The twist in the movie regarding this and the rather claustrophobic atmosphere work very well, but what makes this movie is the superb acting, something of a masterclass I thought.

Delpy is simmering in her icy melancholy, McCormack has a chilled, personable personality at odds with Grant's rather domineering bullishness, the son Bertie seems especially remote from his father.

A cracking story, I enjoyed every minute, I hope you do too.

Recommended.

Personally, I've long admired Alice Troughton's reliably strong direction in the various TV projects I've seen her work within & especially appreciated her unwavering skill, in noticeably crafting particularly impactful, emotionally rich moments (many of which - to her credit - have endured the test of time), borne from her impressive ability to ensure the procurement of actors consistently delivering some of their (arguably career) best performances in front of the camera (conveying nuance beautifully - without coming across as forced), under her watchful gaze on set (from 'Midnight' in 'Doctor Who' to Dominic Mitchell's 'In The Flesh' & the infamously unsettling episode of Russell T. Davies' later series 'Cucumber' etc. The guidance she gives - whatever it may theoretically be during production - always seems to culminate in the formation of something unexpectedly sincere or realistic) & therefore, upon the announcement of her first feature film, attending a screening at the cinema seemed like a no-brainer; I was intrigued.

Consequently, I can thankfully breathe a sigh of relief - now I've seen 'The Lesson' - considering she delivers in every way I expected her to, here; heavily akin to David Tennant's iconic 2008 installment within the BBC's 60 year old franchise I alluded to (for which she's responsible), it basically plays out as a layered, claustrophobic, psychological thriller (led by phenomenal actors Richard E. Grant & Daryl McCormack - the latter whom deserves commendation for recently selecting projects led entirely by women, championing their voices, much to the betterment of his own flourishing filmography - again, unsurprisingly brilliant in their portrayals, elevating the material further); tense, twisting & a slow-burn, operating within the stiflingly restrictive confines of a visually striking & exasperatingly isolated fictional environment (heightening drama - so few trapped alongside one another for prolonged periods, undisturbed; alone with their harmful thoughts & brewing paranoia), utilising the themes depicted (of ambition & creativity, analysing the price paid to achieve one's potential & exploring the notion that for one to express one's self, perhaps it prevents others around an individual from doing so? Ergo, not only are a family mourning the death of a child in the story, but what he simultaneously represents; a loss of their own identity - all intertwined amongst a loving & passionate dissection of literature, ruminating over the question as to what makes a truly great piece of writing?) to playfully acknowledge its own narrative clichés (rather meta), so they may reaffirm the fact that all art is constructed from a slight form of imitation & more ironically, even in an attempted reclamation of autonomy (victims regaining a sense of control & stepping out from underneath another's shadow), the wronged succumb to the same crime as their perpetrator (to achieve that goal); they steal from their superiors.

Yes, the delivery is not exactly subtle & a tad heavy handed in execution... Yet it's so unashamedly brazen in its directness (& told in an engrossing manner, from beginning to end - irrespective of the blatant messaging), I found myself deeply invested, regardless & enjoyed the conversations being had.