TORONTO – The biggest surprise in Kristin Scott Thomas’ directorial debut, “North Star,” doesn’t occur in front of the camera. In this case, Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham deliver exactly what you’d expect as three sisters reuniting for their mother’s latest marriage in the British countryside. Instead, it’s Scott Thomas’ abilities behind the camera that will raise eyebrows. The Best Actress Oscar winner demonstrates an impressive ability to stage a film with a glossy studio flick aesthetic that would make Nancy Meyers green with envy. And, that, unfortunately, is one of the few positive things we can say about this messy misfire.
READ MORE: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: 26 Must-See Films To Watch At TIFF
Co-written by Scott Thomas and British journalist John Micklethwait, “North Star” is partially inspired by the two fathers who passed away over the course of Scott Thomas’ childhood (the movie ends with a title card dedicated to them). Like the fathers of the women in the film, they were Navy Pilots who both died in the line of duty. The film is supposed to be centered on the matriarch of the family, Diana (Scott Thomas), finally marrying for the third time to the affable and classy Geoff (James Fleet). This decision puzzles her now-grown daughters who don’t understand their connection. Then again, we quickly learn these siblings have their own, more urgent issues.
Katherine (Johannson sporting a wobbly British accent), is about to become the first female aircraft carrier captain in the history of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the months away at sea have caused her to drift from her young son, Marcus (Flynn Edwards), and has led to tension with her long-term partner Jack (Freida Pinto, more please). The lesbian couple is co-raising Marcus but has no plans to marry which frustrates Diana and Jack’s mother Belkis (Sindhi Vee, so good we wanted to follow her out of the movie).
Hollywood actress Victoria (Sienna Miller, having a blast) admittedly has “daddy issues” and is being wooed by a rich French billionaire known only as “The Grand Fromage” (Thibault de Montalembert, doesn’t have much to work with). In reality, her drama is minor compared to her sisters. Her career is fine, The Grand Fromage is waging a losing battle, and the minute she runs into a dashing childhood friend, Charlie (Mark Stanley, charming), it’s obvious they will somehow end up together.
As for Georgina (Beecham), despite being a successful medical doctor, she is painfully aware she’s the lowest on the totem pole of the three siblings. Suspicious that her obnoxious husband Jeremy (Joshua McGuire, memorable at least), might be cheating on her, she takes Victoria’s advice and hires a detective to keep tabs on him. The private investigator installs cameras throughout their apartment and in just 24 hours has incriminating evidence (seriously, he returns with the goods the next day). An utterly predictable result like most of this movie.
Despite its sleek aesthetic (thank you director of photography Yves Bélanger), “North Star” proves that both Scott Thomas and Micklethwait are middling screenwriters at best. The movie is only 95 minutes long but often feels like it’s creeping along at a glacial pace. The stakes are low and despite Miller and some of the supporting character’s efforts, it’s just not funny enough. Scott Thomas was clearly inspired by her “Four Weddings and A Funeral” helmer Richard Curtis (she says so in the production notes), but that director knew how to emphasize the “comedy” in romantic comedy. Oh, and don’t get us started on the utterly unnecessary use of cartoonish-hand drawn animation to depict flashbacks. What a distraction.
By the time the movie reaches its third act, the wedding is but a memory and there is an extended patriotic sequence of Katherine taking over her historic command. A moment somewhat jarring when you realize an American actress best known for playing a Russian-born vigilante is now one of the most powerful figures in England’s Navy (yes, you have that much time to ponder such contradictions). But outside of those aforementioned animated sequences, the movie does look great. And somewhere in Hollywood, when these strikes are finally over, a studio executive might consider Scott Thomas to helm their next romantic comedy. Assuming she’d even consider it. That’s a gotta be a minor win for someone, right? [C-]
Follow along with all our coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
