Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays John.  He’s done great work this year, and a lot of it!

I remember that time so well.  Diana was exactly my age, and we both had two boys.  Like a lot of women, I got up early in the morning to watch her fairy tale wedding on TV.  Over the years we all got to know Diana, and could relate to her struggles.  When we got word of her death we were devastated, and we grieved.

That’s what this movie is about.  It’s about the discrepancy between a world full of people in mourning and the royal family’s cool response to the tragedy.  We get a “behind closed doors” look at what the Queen, her husband, her mother, and Prince Charles were all thinking as events unfolded.  And we get to know a newly elected Tony Blair, young, fresh, eager to please, and burdened with the emotions of a country in shock at losing their “People’s Princess.”

The Queen keeps its focus firmly on Queen Elizabeth, and Helen Mirren so amazingly embodies this woman that it’s easy to forget this is a feature film and not a documentary.  Elizabeth is quite a complex woman, and we get to see some of her layers, and some of her thought processes.

If you lived through it, and want a different perspective, The Queen is a good way to get it.  If you’re too young to remember everything that went on, The Queen is a good way for you to understand this defining moment in our generation’s history.

But Chris is scrappy, and intelligent and he knows he can do better for himself.  Against all odds he gets chosen for an internship at Dean Witter.  By day he works hard – and in the evenings he works harder, as a dad trying to find shelter for himself and his son, making every penny count.  At times it seems like his luck is so bad that the world is conspiring against him.  It’s hard to watch sometimes.  We know he’s a good guy, but he’s got a really tough life.  What makes this character so likeable is his attitude.  He’s a devoted father, and his son loves him, He keeps trying, he keeps hanging in there.  And eventually it all pays off.

Of course there’s about an hour and 40 minutes of struggle for about 10 minutes of payoff at the end, but there is an uplifting message here.  If this guy can do it, any of us can.  Just don’t give up.  Follow your dreams, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it.  This movie makes you count your blessings, and it gives you hope.

Will Smith is in every scene, and this is the best he’s ever been.  Jaden Smith is a natural, and we’ll be seeing a lot more from this young man.

Christian Bale is best known for his role as the new Batman – and he is absolutely mesmerizing as a charming take-chances magician. Hugh Jackman is a modern day renaissance man. I still haven’t seen him as anything less than fabulous in anything he’s done. Scarlett Johanssen has had much larger roles, but this one is pivotal, and really gives her a chance to show her vulnerability.

This is the kind of story that keeps you guessing. I figured out part of it about halfway through – but there’s no way you can anticipate all that happens as events unfold. Pretty amazing.