This is a case of the "nice enough" movie - it's got a pleasant subject, it doesn't frighten the horses, it's a film you can take your mum to, but at the same time, it isn't really a particuarly filling meal. In this case, it's a look at the World War 2 propaganda films, with a fictionalised wraparound about a young writer (Gemma Artherton) and her involvement from writing additional dialogue for shorts (including varying the dialogue where the lips are offscreen so that the same footage can be re-used for multiple purposes), moving onto a fullblown propaganda feature about Dunkirk. Also intertwined are the stories of a young male writer (Sam Claflin) who she gets involved with, and an older actor (Bill Nighy) not quite prepared to admit that leading roles are behind him.
It isn't quite enough, though. Claflin never quite makes his character particularly appealing, meaning that the romance is stillborn, and while Nighy steals scenes left and right, it's really a pretty mild experience. The occasional grand claims about morale don't quite compensate for the fact that, ultimately, this is a film about making a mediocre film, and is itself somewhat mediocre. Atherton's really more a pinball to bounce between men than a fully fleshed out character (she's being bullied by Claflin, Nighy or Jack Houston as her sometimes lover throughout), meaning this really doesn't do it for me very much. It's inoffensive enough to send your mum but not enough to come with her.
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