150 Word Review: 'Phantom Thread' (2017)
Say yes to the dressmaker
Love is a poison mushroom, lovingly cooked and served. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Reynolds Woodcock, a controlling English dandy who builds expensive dresses for princesses in 1950s London.
Woodcock is also a fussy mama's boy who likes things just so, and his doting, imperious sister, an intense Lesley Manville, makes sure his house is in order; she rules it with an iron fist draped in silk. He's a hard man to love, but Vicky Krieps' Alma tries. She is a server he meets and gently kidnaps. She doesn't fit into his high-fashion world, but she figures out how to make him tender and loving, which he wants to be. He just can't allow himself to open up.
Phantom Thread is a kinky movie about power. Alma doesn't have resources, but she's no pushover. This is director Paul Thomas Anderson at his sexiest and weirdest, juggling calmness and chaos while smirking.
I Have Feelings:
Phantom Thread is Daniel Day-Lewis' final role, which earned him his sixth Oscar nomination (the bloke has won three.) Months before Phantom Thread came out, a spokesperson for Lewis wrote the following in a statement: “Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject.”
A recent interview with Irish director Jim Sheridan confirmed Lewis' retirement. The two had worked on three classics—My Left Foot (1989), In the Name of the Father (1993), and The Boxer (1997)—but Sheridan recently told the press that Lewis "says he's done" and committed to his retirement. I respect people who know when to leave the party. But I hope he makes another movie. That’s it. He’s such a wonderful actor.
Random Rankings
Top 5 Daniel Day-Lewis Movies
5. 'Age of Innocence' (1993)
4. 'Last of the Mohicans' (1992)
3. 'Lincoln' (2012)
2. 'Gangs of New York' (2002)
1. 'There Will Be Blood' (2007)
I just watched this and it was good. Lewis is such a great actor. You’ve listed some of his films I haven’t seen. ‘The Left Foot’ may have been the first. It’s a classic. Nothing to compare it to.
The poison mushroom left me confused. Was he being completely helpless with Alma taking complete care of him a reminder of his mother that he so dearly loved?
Was THAT the reason he finally loved Alma?
Is this a movie based on Freudian theory?
Generally I like any worthwhile movies that center around houses of fashion so this piqued my interest.
Horror movies and sci-fi, not so much.
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