Mr. Turner
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: December 19, 2014
6.8
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 157 Ratings
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108
Mixed:
25
Negative:
24
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7
amheretojudgeJun 23, 2019
Spall's fumbles and denials are highly appealing, he may move slow, but with a film so still, he has the right amount of pace.

Mr. Turner Leigh is annoyingly a good documentary maker just as he is a filmmaker. His film has the authenticitySpall's fumbles and denials are highly appealing, he may move slow, but with a film so still, he has the right amount of pace.

Mr. Turner

Leigh is annoyingly a good documentary maker just as he is a filmmaker. His film has the authenticity of the old school cinema style where it takes you on a long productive journey without feeling the need to entertain you with various flim-flam. But the writer-director, Mike Leigh doesn't have the crowd gathering catchy topic to entertain you. Hence, the dislikeness in public opinion is understood- not that much, of course. A film about a painter, of course is visually as picturesque as some profound painting. Mostly, the scenes either starts or ends on a still frame that signifies the theme of the painting with exotic live locations and visuals that almost comes off animated.

There is a scenario installed just to portray the rebellious nature of our lead. Now, not only does that scene begs the existence in the narration but also "how" did Leigh get the courage to pull it off on screen. While this debacle amongst the most prestigious bohemians is entertaining to the last nail, it certainly is highly risky. Not only in its entirety, it asks for time to grow old but also the confidence of sticking by the penalty it brings the film with.

Also, notice how a dose of exhilaration even as party-stopper as such wears off within that scene. Leigh does it, by disenchanting the viewers from that scene by making them realize that they are experiencing it all on screen. He has kept a third party in the narration throughout the film. One of the characters is foliated every now and then as an audience. Mostly it is Timothy Spall as Mr. Turner. Since his profession or passion asks him to observe the nature of his surroundings. He often dissolves into the picture that he sees than the context it or someone speaks of.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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10
riaan_radioheadJan 8, 2015
Mr. Turner could be Mike Leigh's (71) most accomplished work in a remarkable career where every film from Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake to Another Year have been staggering humanist masterpieces.
Visually Mr Turner is Leigh's most gorgeousMr. Turner could be Mike Leigh's (71) most accomplished work in a remarkable career where every film from Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake to Another Year have been staggering humanist masterpieces.
Visually Mr Turner is Leigh's most gorgeous film, filling the screen with scenic beauty and human warmth.
Mr. Turner also contains some of Leigh's best tightly controlled and masterfully executed drama.
Timothy Spall too as Turner is simply a magnificent dominating screen presence, bringing years and years of acting experience to a role that lends such philosophical and emotional weight.
Awards season beckons!… Expand
2 of 4 users found this helpful22
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8
foxgroveDec 19, 2014
Opening inauspiciously, Mr. Turner threatens to give credence to the phrase ‘worthy but dull’. As the film goes on, though, it slowly draws you in to the richness of its characters and period. Leisurely paced, beautifully designed and, asOpening inauspiciously, Mr. Turner threatens to give credence to the phrase ‘worthy but dull’. As the film goes on, though, it slowly draws you in to the richness of its characters and period. Leisurely paced, beautifully designed and, as with all Mike Leigh’s best films, elevated by some wonderful performances from many of his regular collaborators. Timothy Spall plays the famed painter in the last years of his life as an unsympathetic crude man and is totally believable grunting and scowling his way through the film. Nevertheless, he is all but eclipsed by two women in the cast. Dorothy Atkinson is outstanding as his doting housekeeper, and Marion Bailey is equally fine as the woman who became his last mistress. He meets her during one of his stays at her lodgings in Margate, the town of inspiration for much of his greatest work.
Throughout its 150 minutes, director Mike Leigh pays exquisite attention to detail and the look of the film is so precise that you can almost smell and feel the period. The costumes are beautiful renditions of the time but have an authentic lived in look, and the hair and make- up is also of a high standard. Only the music disappoints as it is far to glum and depressing. Admittedly the film is not a barrel of laughs, but there is enough occasional humour peppered within the screenplay to have afforded a less melancholic score from composer Gary Yershon.… Expand
3 of 8 users found this helpful35
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9
pypesDec 20, 2014
Saw this a month or so ago when it came out in the UK (hint hint metacritic.) Not the sort of thing I would typically go an see, but was under a modicum of duress and had heard reports of it being very good. I was blown away within the firstSaw this a month or so ago when it came out in the UK (hint hint metacritic.) Not the sort of thing I would typically go an see, but was under a modicum of duress and had heard reports of it being very good. I was blown away within the first 10 minutes, the photography is stunning, the acting is phenomenal and my suspension of disbelief was absolute. A movie so good it doesn't need a plot.

I did find it slightly over-long, but that probably had more to do with the cinema seats rather than what was happening on-screen.… Expand
1 of 6 users found this helpful15
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10
TheDavoFeb 8, 2015
Surely has to be one of the best films of the year with one of the best film performances of the year as well. Not a movie for someone who needs a Hollywood movie with a nonsensical story and name stars. The acting, the story, theSurely has to be one of the best films of the year with one of the best film performances of the year as well. Not a movie for someone who needs a Hollywood movie with a nonsensical story and name stars. The acting, the story, the cinematography, the sets and the settings are to die for. Mike Leigh has hit this one out of the park on every level. Can't believe how good it was.… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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8
hotfromcauldronDec 21, 2014
Mike Leigh’s ‘beauty and the beast’ is meticulously detailed with a haunting score and breathtaking cinematography- whether billowing locomotive smoke or pastel sails at sunset. Mr. Spall’s brilliantly captures J.M.W. Turner - aMike Leigh’s ‘beauty and the beast’ is meticulously detailed with a haunting score and breathtaking cinematography- whether billowing locomotive smoke or pastel sails at sunset. Mr. Spall’s brilliantly captures J.M.W. Turner - a self-described grotesque looking man emitting a cacophony of snorts and grunts between astute observations and animalistic sexual encounters. Supporting characters are forever etched in our memory. In contrast, an artist obsessed with capturing light lived a dark and dismal existence. In conclusion, the more enlightened we become the less we want to know him.… Expand
0 of 4 users found this helpful04
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8
psparoDec 26, 2014
A soundtrack lifted straight out of Looney Tunes couldn't have been more mismatched than this one. Were it not for far better film-making and the subject, this music would have stood alone as psychotic. Any attempts at compassion and sheerA soundtrack lifted straight out of Looney Tunes couldn't have been more mismatched than this one. Were it not for far better film-making and the subject, this music would have stood alone as psychotic. Any attempts at compassion and sheer wonder were panned by a score that couldn't have been more insular and ridiculous. I still give the film an easy 8 out of a possible 10.… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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10
scribblerFeb 7, 2015
This is one of the best films I have ever seen. Timothy Spall is outstanding in the role of Turner. The film reeks of authenticity and is beautifully paced reflecting the time in which it is set. It paints a picture of a real person, notThis is one of the best films I have ever seen. Timothy Spall is outstanding in the role of Turner. The film reeks of authenticity and is beautifully paced reflecting the time in which it is set. It paints a picture of a real person, not some artificially spruced up polished character. Turner was by all accounts as Spall plays him, taciturn, gruff and direct. It is a reflection on the state of the Oscars that this performance has not been recognized as worthy of contention. A great film, a great director in Mike Leigh and a great actor in Spall my opinion.… Expand
0 of 2 users found this helpful02
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8
LynJun 16, 2015
I think more insights about Turner's art and technique would have enriched this character study -- just think of how "Amadeus" embraced Mozart's wackiness and his juicy family & rivalry issues while also getting you deeply into his music.I think more insights about Turner's art and technique would have enriched this character study -- just think of how "Amadeus" embraced Mozart's wackiness and his juicy family & rivalry issues while also getting you deeply into his music. Timothy Spall grew more endearing, despite all his grunting and his guttural, at times hard to understand, British speech. All the female characters were incandescent, as was the stunning cinematography ... and the film sent me online to learn more about Turner the artist, so that's something!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
TVJerryMar 19, 2015
Although this biopic is about British painter J.M.W. Turner, it's more about his peculiar personality and unconventional life than his art. He spends lots of time observing nature and painting it, but he also visits important patrons, stormsAlthough this biopic is about British painter J.M.W. Turner, it's more about his peculiar personality and unconventional life than his art. He spends lots of time observing nature and painting it, but he also visits important patrons, storms thru the Royal Academy and has time to sexually use one woman and fall for another. Timothy Spall gives a bravura performance in the title role, gruffly grunting his way thru all of his encounters. It's a fascinating portrait with plenty of eccentric supporting characters (as is common with director Mike Leigh). Cinematographer Dick Pope has infused every shot, including the lovely landscapes, with a soft palette and lustrous glow. At 150 minutes, I was rooting for him to die before it was over, but other than the extended length, the film presents a fascinating portrayal of an important artist.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
ScraperJul 3, 2017
Mr. Turner is a film as impressionistic as one of his paintings. Linking scenes in a linear way didn't quite work for me so I began to group them together in my mind and then appreciated chunks of time as vignettes. The Olde English dialogueMr. Turner is a film as impressionistic as one of his paintings. Linking scenes in a linear way didn't quite work for me so I began to group them together in my mind and then appreciated chunks of time as vignettes. The Olde English dialogue is rough but the jokes and conclusions of conversations eventually come through. If you can bump along to the choppiness, the portrayals were warm and characters well-detailed.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
lasttimeisawMar 11, 2015
Mike Leigh’s newest endeavour is a two-and-a-half hours long biographic film about British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), a watercolour landscape painting maestro, the film chronically narrates the last quarter of Turner’s life, starsMike Leigh’s newest endeavour is a two-and-a-half hours long biographic film about British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851), a watercolour landscape painting maestro, the film chronically narrates the last quarter of Turner’s life, stars Leigh’s longtime teammate Timothy Spall in an once-in-a-blue-moon leading role which won him BEST ACTOR in Cannes last year.

Unequivocally this film is second to none if it can be crowned as the most beautiful film of 2014, artistically enthralling thanks to the utterly breathtaking cinematography of DP Dick Pope, which concisely tallies with Turner’s own persistent study on light and colour, and viewers can get a peek of his relentless thirst from the magnet experiment conducted by Ms. Somerville (a brilliant cameo by Lesley Manville), or later his piqued interest of the daguerreotype technique, mocks every painter would take a camera with him; also his valour as a true artist, dares a face-to-face encounter with a rough tempest on the sea, just to observe its colour. And the most memorable one is when Leigh and Spall re-enact the action of Turner purposefully adding a wanton brush of red on his own work, instead of blemishing a masterpiece, he turns it into a wonder by his master stroke which stuns all his fellow artists in the academy.

keep reading my review on my blog, google: cinema omnivore, thanks… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
MattBrady99Mar 10, 2015
Timothy Spall crying in this movie is the funniest thing I've ever seen.
The story to Mr. Turner is about a British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes forTimothy Spall crying in this movie is the funniest thing I've ever seen.
The story to Mr. Turner is about a British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.
Let me just start off by saying that this movie isn't for everyone, I mean some people are going to love the clear and breathtaking style of the movie and the story, but some people may think that this movie is boring or just flat out dull, which I fine with that because every has a opinion. When I finished watched this movie I didn't know what to think of it, until I though it through over night and all my thoughts for the movie came together, and my overall thought is... it's a okay movie.
I have seen Timothy Spall in many roles in the best, but not like this one, because he doesn't just play a character, he played this role like if it was really him. I heard some Oscar buzz about his performance in this movie if he dose get nominated in this movie I will be very happy, but if he doesn't well the Oscars can go f**k itself.
The directing in this movie is just the best example for young film markers out there to make a beautiful peace of art that glues you in to it's movie, and that's Mike Leigh for you.
The Cinematography and the Art direction in this movie is so top notch and so beautiful to look at, that the movie takes a risk and allows the cinematography to stink it's teeth into the atmosphere and let the beautiful ways of life to over the screen and to me that's art.
The movie at times can be boring and pretty slow. If I was the editor for this movie I would have edited some parts out, where nothing really happens or character's doing and being really uninteresting things, and that's my other problem with the film it's character's. I never found them interesting at all they kind of dragged the movie down for me.
Mr. Turner isn't a movie that you put on to have a good time with your drunk friends on a Saturday night, no this is a movie for people who only look for story, acting and peaceful shots of the world, and this movie is like a love letter to those kind of people.… Expand
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10
BigcroutonOct 3, 2015
Excellent film. The cinematography is beautiful, gorgeous and the actors--playing a basket-full of oddballs and eccentrics--are all terrific. Timothy Spall in particular, playing Turner, should have been nominated for an Academy Award. HeExcellent film. The cinematography is beautiful, gorgeous and the actors--playing a basket-full of oddballs and eccentrics--are all terrific. Timothy Spall in particular, playing Turner, should have been nominated for an Academy Award. He portrays Turner as affable, engaging, respectful and a little arrogant when in the company of his equals. In the company of his perceived lessers, however, he is dyspeptic, inpatient and tends to communicate in snorts and grunts. His sexual desires are a mystery to him and he is awkward with women. Director Leigh also throws in some humorous jabs at the pompous behaviors and trifling concerns of the upper classes. I think it his his best work. As with all Mike Leigh films, some of the dialogue is a little hard to understand owing to the thick British accents. This a minor problem in an otherwise superb film.… Expand
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10
james417Oct 15, 2015
Beautifully shot and acted, it's one of Leigh's more enjoyable and accessible recent films, one that will appeal to more than the arthouse crowd normally drawn to his films.

Watch this movie onlineBeautifully shot and acted, it's one of Leigh's more enjoyable and accessible recent films, one that will appeal to more than the arthouse crowd normally drawn to his films.

Watch this movie online http://www.watchfree.to/watch-2a08eb-Mr-Turner-movie-online-free-putlocker.html… Expand
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7
jigsmode31Oct 20, 2015
It's a good biographical movie, beautiful cinematography and Timothy Spall's talent shines in this role.

Watch it here for free: https://www.primewire.ag/watch-2754795-Mr-Turner-online-free
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9
EpicLadySpongeFeb 25, 2016
I'll cut right to the chase. Mr. Turner is outrageously and righteously fun to watch... making the other Turners look completely underrated. Don't trust the users here. They look so incredibly weak when reviewing this movie.
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10
alejandro970Oct 13, 2018
Compelling painting in movement of the life of eccentric painter William Turner, performed masterly by Timothy Spall.
Respected and mocked in the Victorean age, and his complex liaison with his closest ones. Even are remarkable the ageCompelling painting in movement of the life of eccentric painter William Turner, performed masterly by Timothy Spall.
Respected and mocked in the Victorean age, and his complex liaison with his closest ones. Even are remarkable the age screenplay and the makeup. A shall to see.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
JLuis_001Sep 6, 2017
Mr. Turner is a fantastic film, but I must clarify it's not for everyone, if you are interested in a movie with depth and an excellent development, here's a great example.
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