I wanted to see The Exception when it was playing at my local theater two months ago. But the film was gone as quick as it appeared. The film made a paltry $26,000 its opening weekend in the United States. No wonder it was so short-lived. While IMDB and Wikipedia disagree on the total revenue for this film, both have it well under one million dollars. The ratings are equally spread out depending on which website you visit. The box office is the best indicator that I can point to. I watched the film last night on Amazon, shocked to see it was free with Amazon Prime so soon after its release. That did not bode well, but I wanted to see the film, so I watched it in spite of my druthers.
The Exception features Christopher Plummer as Kaiser Wilhelm. The film is set in 1940. A threat against the Kaiser is discovered, leading the Germans to dispatch a young war-hero Captain (Jai Courtney) to provide protection for the exiled German leader. The story becomes a love story, as the Captain becomes romantically entangled with a young housekeeper (Lily James). With a threat against the Kaiser looming, and rumors of a British spy circulating, the head of the SS is dispatched to address the situation. Secrets, the chaotic intrusion of the SS and the belligerence of the Kaiser are overshadowed by the blossoming romance between the young stars. At its core, The Exception is a story of forbidden love overcoming the looming odds.
With a cast that includes Plummer, Courtney and James, I am certain this film is currently in the red. I would imagine Plummer alone commanded more than a million dollars for his performance. Which was worth at least that. Plummer was the highlight of this film. Delivering the type of performance one would expect from a veteran like him. Courtney and James are both hot commodities right now and didn't likely come cheap, either. James was decent, Courtney forgettable. I'm just not a fan of his. He was probably cast for his willingness to go full frontal nudity. This film had some graphic nudity that seemed gratuitous at best. It just didn't fit. It felt contrived, like a lot of this film.
My biggest complaint about The Exception was the pacing. The story was framed okay. The cinematography and costumes were solid. But this film trudged along like it didn't want to move forward. The reluctant pacing induced boredom. The characters were okay, but not entirely complex. The plot was completely transparent. If you were surprised by anything in this film, it was probably because you fell asleep. My biggest positive about this movie (aside from Plummer's performance) is that I didn't pay anything to see it.
The Exception is a milquetoast love story that pits forbidden love against the backdrop of World War II. The characters were okay, if not flat. The dialogue was good, the costumes detailed and the cinematography rich. Some of the performances were brilliant. Sluggish pacing made this average story worse. That's too bad, because there was fertile ground to work with. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I am going to think about the highlights and give this film 6/10. But it might deserve a 5, and would've gotten that if not for Plummer's performance.
Courtesy of Egoli Tossell KLK