Retro Film Review: The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

about 1 month ago

(source: tmdb.org)

It is often said that doctors make the worst patients and attorneys make the worst clients. The same sentiment could be applied to actors when they find themselves in the role of fellow actors. This impression is particularly evident in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, a 2004 biographical drama directed by Stephen Hopkins.

The film, a collaboration between HBO and BBC, is an adaptation of Roger Lewis' biographical book about Peter Sellers (1925 - 1980), a highly talented British actor and an icon of 20th Century popular culture. The narrative traces Sellers' journey, portrayed by Geoffrey Rush, starting from his days as a popular BBC radio comedian in the mid-1950s. It delves into his rise in the film industry and Hollywood, showcasing the detrimental impact on his personal life as he becomes estranged from friends, colleagues, family, ultimately leading to his tragic demise.

Like all biopics, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers faces the challenge of condensing the complexities of a person's life into a single feature film. Scriptwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely tackled this by balancing Sellers' on-screen personas with his less appealing real-life self. The film suggests that Sellers used his roles as a means to escape his personal struggles and feelings of emptiness, portraying him as a somewhat uninteresting and unsympathetic character.

Despite Sellers' self-proclaimed emptiness, Geoffrey Rush breathes life into the character, infusing it with the enthusiasm akin to a child in a candy store. Rush not only embodies Sellers but also convincingly portrays him impersonating various significant figures from his life. While this approach may be deemed overly artistic and pretentious by some, Rush's performance shines, supported by a commendable cast, notably John Lithgow as Blake Edwards.

The primary drawback of this film, common to many biopics of cultural icons, is its reliance on prior knowledge of the subject to fully appreciate it. Without familiarity with figures like Edwards or Kubrick, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers may lack resonance. However, fans of Sellers and his body of work are likely to find this flawed yet captivating portrayal a fitting tribute to the enigmatic actor.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

(Note: Original version of the review is available here.)