Albert Nobbs

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Albert Nobbs

Reviewed by Pete Hammond

December 21, 2011

A labor of love for Glenn Close, her singular accomplishment in willing "Albert Nobbs" to the screen is the stuff actors dream about. As a woman passing as a man to work as a servant in a posh hotel in 19th-century Ireland, Close first played the role off-Broadway, winning an Obie for it in 1982, which also was the year she made her feature film debut in "The World According to Garp." Those two events, the beginning of her movie star run and the dream of bringing Albert to a larger audience, were born then and merged 15 years ago in a determined effort to see it come true. In addition to starring, she also co-wrote the adaptation, co-produced, and co-wrote the Golden Globe–nominated song that plays over the end credits. But the remarkable thing about this film remains Close, transforming into a role she first played 30 years earlier without losing a beat. Immersing herself in the guise of the repressed but heartbreaking character, Close is superb, never falling prey to temptations to oversell the part or showboat in any way. If anything, she so underplays it, she almost gives the film away to her co-stars—a generous act indeed—particularly Janet McTeer as Hubert, another woman posing as a man to work. McTeer is simply sensational, stealing every scene she's in and lighting up the screen with a full-bodied, wise, and funny performance, especially in an atypical scene where she convinces Albert to break loose, return to female form, and hit the town with her.

That Close with her producer's hat on was able to attract such a great cast is testament to the strong material. Particularly fine are Brendan Gleeson as a rambunctious doctor, Mia Wasikowska as Helen, a young maid on whom Albert develops a crush, and Aaron Johnson as Joe, Helen's high-living and loving boyfriend. He has ambitions to escape his troubled past, take his girlfriend, and go to America, something Nobbs tries to prevent. In smaller roles, standouts include Pauline Collins, Brenda Fricker, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. But ultimately all eyes are on Close, whose Albert Nobbs is a model of restraint. Is she believable as a man? Yes, to a degree, but we buy into the whole proposition because Close does, aided by superior makeup work from Matthew W. Mungle and expert direction from Rodrigo García, who previously directed Close in "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her" and "Nine Lives." The shorthand they have is evident not only in her performance but in the whole look and feel of the film, which, with its widescreen images, never resembles a simple stage transfer but is fully cinematic.

"Albert Nobbs" is a small film, but a handsome one that owes its entire existence to its star, no small feat indeed.

Genre: Drama
Written by Gabriella Prekop, John Banville, Glenn Close
Directed by Rodrigo García
Starring Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Brendan Gleeson, Aaron Johnson, Mia Wasikowska, Pauline Collins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brenda Fricker

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