On paper, the story of Maria Altman (Helen Mirren), who fought to get back a famous Gustav Klimt portrait of her beloved aunt that had been snatched from her Austrian home by the Nazis, sounded perfectly cinematic. There’s the painting itself, one of the most beautiful, glittering works of all time. There’s Maria’s backstory: As a young woman (played by Orphan Black‘s preternaturally versatile Tatiana Mosley), she and her new husband (Max Irons) pulled off a daring escape from the Nazis to come to America. And then there’s the court case. With her underdog lawyer (Ryan Reynolds) in tow, she first took her case to arbitration in Austria—where the painting was considered a national treasure; the so-called “Mona Lisa of Austria”—and then back to the American justice system. Her case ultimately landed in the Supreme Court.
But there are some problems that come through right away: Frankly, court cases about wills and ownership just aren’t that exciting, even when entire governments and Nazis are involved. (There’s a big action montage of sorts that involves Reynold’s Randol Schoenberg reading a lot.) The flashback scenes, depicting Maria’s wealthy Jewish family in slight denial that the Austrians are going to let the Nazis run roughshod over their own people, are affecting, but have been done, better, many times before. And then there’s the casting of Ryan Reynolds. Look, I don’t want to bash the guy. I’ve enjoyed him well enough in some rom-coms, like The Proposal. But he’s way too much of a lightweight to be acting opposite Helen Mirren, and the fact that he’s playing an Austrian Jew (a descendent of Arnold Schoenberg, no less!) is a bit of a stretch.
Left with a wonky court case, familiar flashbacks, and a so-so leading man, the film tries to lay on the cute, a la Philomena. Case in point: Maria gushing to Randol: “This is like a James Bond film and you’re Sean Connery!” Pretty sure she didn’t say that in real life.
Of course, the film tells an interesting historical story, and it’s a perfectly fine answer to the question, “What film should I take my [insert name of elderly relative] to this weekend?” But if you want a truly transporting experience, I recommend that you head to New York’s Neue Galerie and see “Woman in Gold” for yourself.