Ben Kingsley, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson and Peter Sarsgaard star in Elegy based on a Phillip Roth novel. Need I say more?
Kingsley plays a droll, urbane and steely professor at Columbia—the smartest guy in the room. He is felled by the otherworldly beauty, charisma and decency of Penelope Cruz. Kingsley brilliantly plays smug, cutting, humiliated and self-loathing in equal measures.
His scenes with best friend, Dennis Hopper (a Pulitzer prize winning poet!), are riveting—a window into the psyche of a certain strata of male. Patricia Clarkson is fearless as ever. Pete Sarsgaard burns through his scenes.
The dark genius of Roth is his finely honed dialog, brilliant political asides and incisive male characterizations. Even better, his work is plot driven. I find myself imploring Kingsley to “get over yourself.” It is powerful and gratifying when he finally does.My best measure of a dark and compelling story; 4:45 am running time be damned, I am staying up to learn what next will happen.
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