Their Finest
Dustin Chase
An Education (2009) was a great film, nominated for best picture and solidifying the career of Carey Mulligan. However, that’s no reason to use that movies structure in a different plot like director Lone Scherfig does here. Their Finest has a solid starting point, focusing on women’s increased role during WWII, specifically at London’s major film studio. Half the cast and characters are fantastic, led in a brilliant supporting turn by Nighy (Notes on a Scandal). For a film about screenwriting, even featuring scenes where our stars Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin critique bad writing, to get caught up in one of the worst written deaths I have seen on screen in a long while, is unacceptable. Their Finest has good intentions but gets completely caught in its own web, falling apart in the end.
Needing a job to help her injured war hero, turned painter husband Ellis (Huston) pay the rent, Catrin Cole (Arterton) lands a job with the Ministry of Information’s film division. They are upfront about not paying her as much as the men, but she is offered a co-writing job along-side Tom Buckley (Claflin). Tasked with creating a film both entertaining, positive and to show America, not yet in the war, that England isn’t a bunch of elitists. Bomb raids every other day, the production is plagued with diva actors like Ambrose Hilliard (Nighy) and too many departments meddling in the screenwriting office. Catrin and Tom begin having feelings for each other, despite her loyalty to Ellis who doesn’t work her working. Catrin’s creativity quickly becomes the productions greatest asset and she is torn between the life she has and the life she wants.
For a film about the screenwriting industry, it sure should have taken some of its own advice.
“Slop” is the word used to describe women’s dialogue in movies during the 1940’s. That’s what our leading character is called in to write, of course proving far more valuable to the entire production. Yet Gaby Chiappe’s screenplay reduces Catrin to nothing more than one piece of a love triangle, mirroring the exact thing the character fights against in Their Finest. The movie does show us exactly how a “true story” can be altered to fit a more cinematic flow. The phrase, “inspired by a true story” hasn’t been invented just yet. Included in some of the better segments is a riff on American cinema during the time, and expectations Hollywood has of any movie wanting to play in the States.
The scenes and eventual developing love story between Catrin and Tom is both predictable and the films least interesting aspect. Of course, it doesn’t help that both Claflin (Me Before You) and Arterton (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) are two of the least talented British actors working in mainstream film today. However, the scenes with Bill Nighy are hilarious and very witty, even Harry Potter alum Helen McCrory is given a role that’s more interesting than the love plot. Their Finest also debuts at a time of oversaturation in films that focus on filmmaking (Argo, The Artist, La La Land). As much as I wanted to like this film it’s ruined by soap opera antics with an unforgivable, poorly written death scene, that serves as the nail in the coffin.
Final Thought
For a film about the screenwriting industry, it sure should have taken some of its own advice.