Topsy-Turvy

Pros: acting, singing, The Mikado
Cons: jumps around, makes no sense, gratuitous nudity, foul language sometimes 

I really wanted to like this movie, but I didn't like it as much as I wanted to.  Director and screenwriter Mike Leigh failed to make it accessible to a general audience.  No wonder the two Academy Awards that it won were for Best Costume ...

Pros: It will teach you the value of paying attention to Aruzenchin and Mangiotto.
Cons: Our lessons are always learned too late.

I know that the Niles and Frasier Cranes of the world are capable of making the distinctions between grand operas, operettas, and musicals. Frankly, those distinctions are lost on me. If I applied myself, I'm sure I could discover the difference...

Pros: Will satisfy anyone who has a thirst for period detail.
Cons: Even I don't know what that title means. Any takers?

There's a New Yorker cartoon in the January 13, 2003 edition, where a 3-piece suited lawyer, bald like Friar Tuck, a little Yarmulke of skin on top of his skull, tells an incarcerated plug-ugly (Face peppered with 5 o' clock shadow and sporting a...

Pros: great subject matter
Cons: mistakes subject matter for story

Having missed this biographical sketch of Gilbert and Sullivan during its short stint in the movie theatres, I had been looking forward to seeing this movie for months. Anticipation is tragic when it remains unfulfilled even after the realization of its...

Pros: Director Mike Leigh's underplaying stock company conveys a great sense of time and place.
Cons: In terms of a biopic, perhaps too much music at the expense of the story.

As seen in Mike Leigh's TOPSY-TURVY, William Schwenk Gilbert and Arthur Seymour Sullivan, the team who wrote and staged world-beloved operettas from TRIAL BY JURY (1875) to THE GONDOLIERS (1889), were in their personal and professional lives . . . ...

Pros: Engaging look into theater and the creative process. Impeccable acting and brilliant direction by Leigh.
Cons: Three hours might be a bit much. If you don't know theater, you probably won't like it.

George Martin once talked about he and John Lennon once having a drink in a British pub. One of the regulars went over to the jukebox and selected "Yesterday." Lennon sighed, turned to Martin and said, "Don't suppose anyone's going to...

Pros: Excellent Lead Performances / Intelligent and Witty Script / Superbly Authentic Design
Cons: Too long / First hour drags / Not for everyone

"Topsy-Turvy" is the latest work by critically acclaimed British writer and director, Mike Leigh ("Naked," "Secrets and Lies"). Leigh is known for paying great attention to detail and for intelligent and sharp scripts....

Pros: Amazing tale of Gilbert and Sullivan's struggle to bring The Mikado to life
Cons: At 160 minutes, many may be deterred by its length

Topsy Turvy is a fascinating movie that inhabits the world of theater, or rather the world of theater inhabits Topsy Turvy. It is a sprawling movie that leisurely strolls through the world of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan years after...

Pros: Gorgeously staged; dry wit and subtle poignancy.
Cons: About 30 minutes too long.

It’s easy to see why Topsy-Turvy was one of the top critical darlings of 1999. It won the Best Picture citation of two critics groups (The National Society of Film Critics and The New York Film Critics Circle), was named on many top ten lists, and...

Pros: Tops for acting, directing, writing, production design, etc
Cons: None that I can think of

Being young and not terribly familiar with the legendary writer-composer team of William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, I approached the latest Mike Leigh movie with some measure of uncertainty; I was of the opinion that if any films or filmed stories...

Pros: Sets and costuming, lead actors, historical drama
Cons: Too long for non Gilbert & Sullivan fans

I may be in the minority by admitting that I never took part in a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta during my high school years, and definitely in the minority when I freely admit that I've never even seen a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta in my half...

Pros: EVERYTHING
Cons: NONE

The ultimate zeal of Mike Leigh's Gilbert and Sullivan praising opus, Topsy-Turvy, is more refreshing than any film this year. Yes, I've seen some happy films this year, some of which were incredible, but films like Toy Story 2 was ground into a form...

Pros: Beautiful period details
Cons: No car chases or grisly murders

I was a teenager when I first heard about Gilbert and Sullivan. The father on "The Brady Bunch" came home to his family with a G&S Highlights album. He was so enthusiastic about getting the family members together to sing along with the...

Pros: Well researched, historically accurate
Cons: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz --- for THREE HOURS!

While we know with certainty that The Mikado itself does not last nearly as long as this film about it, one begins to wonder (about 2/3 through this film) whether indeed G&S's **LIVES** lasted as long or as unentertainingly as this film about...

Pros: The musical numbers can be quite charming
Cons: The rest of the film is not

Call me a plebian.

Mike Leigh, the celebrated auteur behind NAKED, LIFE IS SWEET, the Oscar-nominated SECRETS AND LIES, and TOPSY-TURVY (recently chosen as the best film of 1999 by the New York Film Critics), is one of the most critically...