THE READER deals in sadness. It starts as an affair between a woman who works as a ticket taker on the Berlin trains and a 15 year old boy who is half her age. Before making love, the woman–played by Kate Winslet–makes the boy read to her. The summer affair comes to an end and years later, the boy–played by David Kross–now a law student, attends a trial of Nazi prison camp guards. To his shock, he discovers his former lover is being tried. There are some moral questions, some awkward decisions, some missed opportunities, and an overwhelming sense of melancholy in this film. Ralph Fiennes is largely wasted. David Hare’s script likes to jump around annoying. I don’t think Kate Winslet will win an Oscar for this role. GRADE: B.
I liked it more than I expected. I think she will win on the strength of both Revolutionary Road and this–and all her other parts. She’s earned it, I think. And Ralph was wasted. He can play the part of a disaffected loner in his sleep.
Kate Winslet has been up for the Oscar six times. You might be right about her winning on the strength of her body of work. But Anne Hathaway give a much better performance in Rachel Getting Married. Yes, Ralph Fiennes seemed to reprise his The Constant Gardener role in this one.
As we know, Winslet won.
As soon as I saw Kate Winslet’s picture on the cover of TIME I knew the fix was in. But I still think Anne Hathaway’s performance was superior.