Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)

This is a beautifully shot movie. It is reminiscent of BBC period pieces, though everything looks more opulent. I suspect this may be because it's the President being shown, and not the rest of America during the Depression. The Roosevelts were American aristocracy and this movie makes that very evident. The cinematography really stands out though, as it is much more artsy than most historical dramas. There are lots of lingering shots and widely framed shots, not to mention shots of the backs of people's necks. It must be an art thing.
Bill Murray is excellent as Franklin Roosevelt. It's hard to believe that this is the same actor from Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters. He is both stately and understated at the same time. He looks the part and sounds the part. Actually everyone does an excellent job, all on the understated side except for Olivia Williams as Eleanor Roosevelt, who is portrayed not only as a 'raging' feminist but as a closeted lesbian.
The visit of the British royals is incredibly awkward and I'm not sure how much of it was intended and how much of it was the reserve of the whole movie makes the awkwardness more palpable. I know this period in British American relationships were difficult, but I'm not sure as to the relationship between Roosevelt and King George, but this film portrays it as one long humiliation for the King with Roosevelt occasionally letting him know he was doing a good job, but that the King of England was just not as important as the President of the United States.
The affair between President Roosevelt and his cousin Daisy is something I had heard of before, but not thought that much about. I certainly didn't think of ol' Franklin as a player, which this film makes him out ot be. I guess I had never thought of this possibility because when I studied FDR in school I was a boy and didn't think about anyone leading this kind of life. As an adult, I am not surprised by this, just hadn't thought about it. You kind of feel for Daisy when she discovers that she is one of many, or at least several other women in the President's life. I suppose it was naive of her to think that she would be the only one. Love is a fickle thing, I suppose.
I honestly can't decide if I like this film or not. It is exceptionally well made. It's quirky and oddly paced. The voice-over by Daisy does a wonderful job of humanizing the drama, but I think it gets over-used in the last quarter of the movie which relies heavily on exposition instead of dialogue and drama.

Hyde Park on the Hudson on IMDb