 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
Directed by Stephen Hopkins
 Geoffrey Rush suffers an identity crisis in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
Personally I think Peter Sellers was one of the funniest actors ever to grace our screens. He starred in some of my favourite movies like The Party (birdie num nums, anyone?) and the hilarious Pink Panther series. But was he a fun guy in real life? Apparently not, according to this dramatisation starring the Oscar winning Geoffrey Rush.
And Rush once again proves what a talented actor he is by completely transforming himself into Peter Sellers. From his early days as a member of the much loved radio comedy team The Goons, to his successful acting career in British cinema and his inevitable move to Hollywood, we get to witness it all, courtesy of director Stephen Hopkins, writing team Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and a bevy of British and US stars. These include Charlize Theron as Sellers' second wife, Britt Ekland, John Lithgow as director Blake Edwards, the stunning Sonia Aquino as Sophia Loren and Emily Watson as Sellers' long suffering first wife, Anne. Miriam Margolyes and Peter Vaughan are also excellent as his parents.
What didn't work so well for me was the way Geoffrey Rush would suddenly become some of those main characters and speak directly into the camera. I just didn't see the point.
Don't be fooled into thinking The Life and Death of Peter Sellers is a gay romp. Life certainly wasn't one long party for his nearest and dearest, that's for sure. In fact several people walked out of the session we were attending when he began beating up Britt Ekland. He may have been a scream on screen but off screen he was full of angst and self-doubt and prone to uncontrollable rages. Yep, a real bundle of laughs.
This leaves me in a bit of a quandary. I'd recommend this movie to fans of the actor but if you're a huge fan, do you really want to see a warts-and-all exposé of your favourite star? Or would you prefer to remain in ignorant bliss and just continue to enjoy the many superb characters he brought to life?
The choice is yours.
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