Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, 2012)

Speculatively based on a supposed affair Franklin Roosevelt had with a distant cousin, Hyde Park on Hudson at least proves Bill Murray can do impersonations that don't wholly depend on parodic elements with his take on the President. The insubstantial plot centres around a visit to the Roosevelts' country manor by King George VI, still stuttering despite having apparently been cured in The King's Speech, although this may be explained by the fact that he has now turned into a cuddly George Osborne. Olivia Colman's characterisation of Queen Elizabeth as a comically dim figure constantly affronted by all things modern and foreign is probably the highlight, but that's not the main focus and the narrative voiced over the mannered milieu by the President's naive cousin seems to serve little purpose. It's finessed and whimsically cute, but too bloodless and stage-bound to properly engage the passions.

5/10