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Rating:  - A wonderful family movie!
I watched this movie with my eleven-year-old granddaughter, and both of us enjoyed it immensely. The acting is excellent, and the story is both humorous and sometimes sad. In other words, the screenplay does a nice job of portraying the realities of life that affect each of us today, even though the movie is set in the early 20th century.
For children, and even adults, the movie teaches about life and social mores in a bygone era, especially about the limited opportunities that were available to women at that time. Beatrix Potter was able to break down many barriers in her lifetime, and left us the wonderful gift of her books which are as beloved by children today, as during her own lifetime.
I definitely believe that many of the challenges that Beatrix faced in her lifetime are still being faced by women today. This movie portrays the triumph of Beatrix's own life story in a way that can give hope and inspiration to women both young and old, and should be shared with those that you love. A wonderful movie!
Rating: - Inspiration for young artists and writers
Plenty of reviews on this site testify to the marvelous quality of this film, and its extraordinary performances. And there is no doubt that the film is a pure delight to watch. What I want to point out is that this is an excellent film for young writers and artists, as it is the story of how a young woman with considerable talent fights for recognition and finally receives it. Her story is exceptional, but then again it is not, because writers and artists do achieve success all the time. However the struggles of the beginning artist are considerable, and the need for faith throughout one's career never ends. I heartily recommend this film to anyone who wants to write, to paint, to dance, to sing, to do anything creative, and especially to those who are up against opposition from family and friends. . You will find the film comforting and affirming. And as others have indicated here, its an extraordinarily fine and wondrously enjoyable film.
Rating: - Miss Potter
Excellent presentation of Beatrix Potter's life and publication of her many pictures and stories with 'living' animals and life's experiences. Artwork is beautiful; historical setting is accurate; photography is magnificent. Older children, and adults, will thoroughly enjoy the portrayal of parents who want the best for their children, but who restrict their expressions of individual personalities and talents. Should be in every library of worthwhile DVDs.
Rating: - A Real Gem
Call this one a sleeper. Not all video clubs got it; Hollywood Video didn't get it so I thought it was a B rated, turn of the century dime novel made for the movies. Wrong! This movie was one of the best of the year, if not the best. Renee Zellweger should have received professional recognition for her portrayl of Beatrix Potter, creator of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and other children's books. Great for the whole family. I have no idea how the PG rating was derived; the back of the DVD case said for "brief mild language" whaatever that means. I've ordered the movie so we'll be able enjoy it in our family for years to come.
Rating: - As We Watch Her Drawings Dance....
Amid the beautiful and verdant English countryside, the tale of Beatrix Potter unfolds.
In the role of the title character, Renee Zellweger is pert, and simply done-up, but perhaps a bit too emphatic at times with the British accent that comes so naturally to her co-stars.
Through Chris Noonan's skillful and enchanting direction, we are privy to Miss Potter's initial meeting with the Warne Brothers at their publishing firm as her now-classic tale of Peter Rabbit is reluctantly launched by them.
The project is handed to the youngest Warne Brother,novice publisher, Norman, played by a sunny and amiable Ewan McGregor(with a strong resemblance to the actual Norman Warne), who in the company of Beatrix' elderly chaperone, Miss Wiggin(Matyelok Gibbs),introduces her to the publishing process.
We see her life at home in a cozy London apartment with her parents, Rupert and Helen (Bill Paterson, and Barbara Flynn). Her father, a lawyer who never really practiced his trade, spends most of his days at a men's club, but who has encouraged his daughter's artistic prowess since her childhood, as he was once an aspiring artist himself.
Her class-conscious mother disapproves of Beatrix' non-conformist lifestyle, but by insisting that the family summer in the Lake District, as is fashionable, ultimately provides her daughter with inspiration for a more desireable lifestyle, and for more fodder for her childrens' stories than she could have imagined.
Miss Potter has tea with Norman's mother(Phyllida Law) and becomes good friends with his sister, Millie (Emily Watson giving a performance with a lot of range, but mostly with strenghth).
In the meantime, we are treated to flashbacks of Beatrix' childhood, at home, and also in the Lake District where the little girl(Lucy Boynton) and her brother Bertram (Oliver Jenkins) roam about, chase the animals that Beatrix loves and loves to draw, where the caretaker's son William Heelis(Justin McDonald) takes an interest in her drawings and paintings, and she listens to stories about fairy beasts told to her by her nanny, Fiona (Patricia Flannigan). But like many imaginative children who become writers, Beatrix creates her own stories.
Interspersed with this tale of a teller of childrens' tales are moments when the drawings of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, and others of Beatrix Potter's now-world-famous menagerie of friends spring to life before our eyes--delightful moments that illustrate how real these characters were to their creator.
Beatrix' father is more impressed with her literary success than her mother, and Mrs. Potter reluctantly invites Norman and Millie to the family's Christmas party. The siblings hold up well amid the Potters' many titled guests, and there is more than one romantic moment between Norman and Beatrix.
Apprehensive about the romance between the two, the Potters coax their daughter to summer with them in the Lake District once again, to see if her feelings will change.Little does Beatrix realize that on this journey, she will be saying farewell to her past and hello to her future.
Tragedy strikes, but just beforehand, she reunites with her former acquaintance, William Heelis, who is now a country solicitor(played with charisma by a tall, clear-eyed, crinkly smiling, photogenic Lloyd Owen, who has delightfully rich coloring).
Ultimately, the childrens' author is compelled to make a life for herself on her own terms at a time when that was rare for women, and along the way, she discovers that someone close to her has the same regard for her watercolor and pen-and-ink pals as she has.
Viewers are treated to a gem of a true story, told with as much vivid imagination as the authoress herself might have had, if not more, and we glean from this sunny triumphant tale, lessons about independance, and of how life goes on after the worst happens.
"We must present ourselves to the world!" she tells her menagerie at the beginning, "and we must think of it as an adventure!"
Now the world can share in the adventure of the animal characters and their creator in a film that is destined to become a classic in its own right.
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