While the movie was flawed in some ways (never quite believed the connection between Trixie & Dex, for example), I found it engaging in many ways. Ms. Watson is certainly a versatile actress, and her Trixie is a marked departure from her other movie portrayals--especially her most recent in "Angela's Ashes". One can't help but admire a performer who takes such risks.
I don't think I've sat with such wrapt attention to the next utterance of a character since Groucho did "Day at the Races"! Not only does Trixie raise malapropism to a new art form ("We'll all go to Hell in a handbag"; and as she grabs the bottle away from Leslie Ann Warren, she admonishes her with, "I'm not going to let you drink yourself into Bolivia!"), Ms. Watson rattles off these lines without a trace of affectation or laugh calculation, which makes them work so beautifully.
The aforementioned Ms. Warren turns in her usual strong performance. Nick Nolte's surly senator was rather over the top, but it did make him a likely suspect which added more interest to the plot. And Nathan Lane, while probably overqualified for his role, is always worth seeing (his NBC sitcom notwithstanding).
I'm not sure Mr. Abramsen and I saw the same movie, although it's clear only one of us saw the WHOLE movie! Sometimes I believe people walk out of plays or films just to brag to their friends that they've done it. This movie, I believe is worth an entire look; even a second one to recall all of Trixie's fractured English!
