Belle (2013)

Somewhat stilted period drama directed by Amma Asante. 

The premise is intriguing enough – the upbringing of an illegitimate girl is entrusted to William Murray, Earl of Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice (Tom Wilkinson), who lives in Kenwood House, Hampstead. The girl's mixed-race background is a cause of controversy within the Earl's social standing.

This is based on a true story inspired by the 1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle, but – frustratingly – events have been changed and fictionalised for the purposes of this film. Why invent parts of the plot when the truth is more interesting? 

The older actors are impressive – Penelope Wilton, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson – but the two would-be sisters Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sarah Gadon, are surprisingly flat for such important roles. And annoyingly, it wasn't even filmed at Kenwood.

Larry Crowne (2011)

Strange – and strangely enjoyable – romantic comedy that’s neither especially funny nor romantic. 

Tom Hanks plays a middle-aged man who loses his job and goes to college to educate himself. There, he develops a friendship with a much younger woman (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and also with his teacher (Julia Roberts). Both of these relationships transform him. Before long, he’s riding a scooter with a gang, wearing more fashionable clothes and sporting a less fusty haircut. 

It’s odd because the tone is so unusual. Parts of it are like a gentle drama. There’s subtle wit, but it doesn’t really emerge until the second half – and even then there are few laughs. Also, there are elements of the story that simply don’t ring true. 

But Hanks and Roberts are appealing and you find yourself rooting for them to get together, so the film must be doing something right. I found myself liking it a lot, despite not thinking it quite worked.