Yidio Movie Review: Oscar Hopeful 'Hitchcock'

Big Oscar hopefuls like “Les Miserables” and “Django Unchained” severely outcompeted smaller films like the $6 million grossing Hitchcock (“Django,” for comparison, sits at a cool $148 million) this year, but should they all be overlooked?

I got one final shot to see “Hitchcock” at the small local theater in town. It aired for three nights total—and since it was in and out of the big theaters so quickly I never got around to seeing it, I took the opportunity.

The movie follows Hitchcock’s struggle to make his best-known picture, “Psycho,” but it also deals with the intricacies of his marriage to wife Alma Reville. At times the two storylines seem out of touch with one another, seeming to lose focus, but in general, each gets an attention to detail that weaves in and out of the personal and professional life of famed director Alfred Hitchcock (played expertly by Anthony Hopkins) in a way that draws attention to how one influences the other.

While certain moments dragged (such as the recurring fight to get the film approved, censor-wise), the pauses were brief and always brought audiences back to the true drama: the mutual love, respect, and deep insecurities between Hitchcock and his rather neglected and calorie-fixated wife (played sensitively by Helen Mirren).

Alma overlooks with a tight mouth as her husband admires his beautiful leading ladies (presented by surprisingly likeable Scarlett Johannson as Janet Leigh, and Jessica Biel surprisingly dull as Vera Miles), while Hitchcock peeks through a window without expression as Alma chats with her close friend, writer Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston encompassing his best oily charisma).

At times the bickering between husband and wife make one question their relationship—but then a touch or a look, tossed easily by one or the other, paints a really lovely and truthful picture of a couple that has come to a crossroads and quietly looks to the other for guidance. But are they at an impasse?

One of the overlooked pearls of the film, at least in this reviewer’s opinion, is the perfectly coordinated score by Danny Elfman. Elfman manages to guide the feeling of a scene by projecting perfectly Hitchcock-ian music over an otherwise unimpressive moment, like Hitchcock studying the back of Alma’s neck in the kitchen, or just skimming leaves from the pool… all these small shots become wonderfully charged with suspense at Elfman’s discretion.

The addition of momentary hallucinations or imaginings by Hitchcock of Ed Gein, the murderer upon which the book Pyscho was based and the inspiration for the character of Norman Bates, also bring in a huge dose of creepy. Michael Wincott’s deep drawl as Gein makes you want to turn on the lights and pull the blanket up higher.

“Hitchcock” is up for an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hair Styling. It fights for the award against “Les Miserables” and “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure,” and certainly deserves to be nominated. While there might not have been anything exceptional about the minor characters, the transformation in Anthony Hopkins is almost eerie in its mimicry. The end of the movie notes that while Hitchcock received multiple nominations for the award, he never won. Has his time finally come?

The verdict: “Hitchcock” would make a great, mildly cerebral movie for a night in and some thoughtful discussion, but it probably won’t stay with you forever.