Saturday, January 13, 2018

Phantom Thread Movie Review

Daniel Day-Lewis & Lesley Manville (r) star in Phantom Thread

Never Cursed

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutants and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock's life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. With his latest film, Paul Thomas Anderson paints an illuminating portrait both of an artist on a creative journey, and the women who keep his world running. Phantom Thread is Paul Thomas Anderson's eighth movie, and his second collaboration with Daniel Day-Lewis.


Reynolds declares, "There's an air of quiet death in this house... and I don't like the smell of it." Suspicious scents notwithstanding, The House of Woodcock is a wonder to behold, with delicious inhabitants and lush surroundings. Phantom Thread is filled with moments of darkness, insecurity, levity and romance. Day-Lewis, Manville and Krieps are sensational as the unlikeliest of trios, executing Anderson's shrewd story/vision with seasoned precision. It's almost great, but I didn't care for Jonny Greenwood's distracting/relentless score as much as others did. That said, it's still one of the best acted/looking movies of the year.

Grade: B+