At times, "I Capture the Castle" feels every bit as oppressive and joyless as the rather odd choice of homes in which many of the film's characters live.
And while that may be a deliberate choice by director Tim Fywell to show why the characters behave as they do, it certainly doesn't help make this sullen costume drama any more watchable.
In fact, the only real bright spot is composer Dario Marianelli's musical score, which is not only more fun than the film, it also continues to tease a lighter, brighter and considerably more appealing cinematic tale that is never realized. (Also, both the filmmaker and distributor made a disastrous misstep when they declined to edit the film and tone down certain material — mostly sexual — that assured it would get an R rating.)
Relative newcomer Romola Garai stars as Cassandra Mortmain, an English teen who's convinced she'll never experience love. Especially when she and her family are living in a dilapidated castle on the outskirts of Suffolk. She's not the only one who's frustrated, though. Her author father (Bill Nighy) hasn't written anything in more than a decade. Her stepmother (Tara FitzGerald) has taken to public nudity to express herself. And her older sister Rose (Rose Byrne) just wants to get out of there.
However, all that could change with the arrival of brothers Simon and Neil Cotton (Henry Thomas and Marc Blucas). The two Americans have arrived in England to take over their ancestral home. Care to take a guess who's already living there?
Fywell does a convincing job of re-creating pre-World War II England, but his attempt to juggle numerous subplots and characters isn't nearly as successful. Not that the cast is any help, mind you. Blucas is hopelessly bland, Nighy and Thomas are both unlikable, and FitzGerald is so wildly over the top that she seems to be acting in a different movie.
Then there's Garai, who seems baffled by her character. Most audiences won't be, though. They'll be just as bored by her as they are by the film itself.
"I Capture the Castle" is rated R for female nudity, some brief sexual contact and some brief violence (an accidental stabbing and a tussle, both seen in flashbacks). Running time: 113 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com