Current release: THE READER

THE READER, as you're probably aware, has just bagged Kate Winslet a Golden Globe award and seems certain not to be her last award for the role (I'm even tagging this post with the Oscars label, just in case). It's deserved as well, for she is terrific in the film.

The film itself is far from being a masterpiece however.

The story revolves around a German lawyer (Ralph Fiennes) and flashbacks to his youth (played by David Kross) when he had a brief and passionate affair with an older woman (Winslet). As if the affair ending abruptly wasn't heartbreaking enough for him, the film takes a nasty turn halfway through which puts a whole new spin on Winslet's character.

When I criticised CHANGELING recently it was because an otherwise terrific film was being overshadowed by the lead actress putting on a performance that seemed engineered for awards season. THE READER has the opposite problem, with Winslet putting in a fantastic performance (every bit as emotional as Jolie's in CHANGELING, but far more measured and restrained) only to see her work (and that of a very good Fiennes) being overshadowed by a film that feels crafted for awards season.

In their rush to tick all the right "worthy" boxes (flashbacks, doomed romance, the holocaust) the filmmakers have unfortunately lost sight of some of the more important factors, such as when to actually finish their story.

We end up with another of those films where it just keeps ending...but not really. RETURN OF THE KING was another example which received the same criticisms, while I'd level the same accusation at the awful THE KILLING OF JOHN LENNON. Here, THE READER just seems to reach a natural conclusion... and then keep going. And then reaches another natural conclusion... and then keeps going. And so on.

So here's my handy guide to how to best enjoy the reader:

• If you want the full, earnest, awards-baiting experience, watch until the end.
• If you want a Hollywood-style feel-good movie, leaving half an hour before the end will do the job.
• If you just want to see an astonishing amount of Winslet and Kross being naked, the first hour will probably be more than enough.