The Wife (2018)

Glenn Close is pretty much guaranteed her seventh Oscar nomination as Joan, the self-professed "kingmaker" whose king, er, husband wins the Nobel Prize in Literature in the first five minutes of the movie. She was last blogged, and nominated, for Albert Nobbs. Jonathan Pryce (most recently in The Man Who Invented Christmas) is up to the task as Joe, her partner in his recognition. Christian Slater (I remember him best in Heathers (1988) and True Romance (1993), and saw him in Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988), Pump Up the Volume (1990), and Untamed Heart (1993), but don't recall much of his career after that) is good as the relentless would-be biographer Nathaniel. Jeremy Irons' son Max (he played Helen Mirren's character's husband in the flashbacks in Woman in Gold) smolders as Joan and Joe's son David. In the flashback sequences of Joan and Joe in this movie I stared at Annie Starke (this is her fourth role, which included a small one in Albert Nobbs), thinking at first she looked exactly like Close, and then maybe not so much. My first instinct was correct--she is Close’s daughter and her credit here is "and introducing." Harry Lloyd (played the young Denis Thatcher (Jim Broadbent) in The Iron Lady flashbacks) adds quite a lot of passion and depth to Joe's character.

Swedish director Björn Runge (say b'YORN ROON-ye) is new to me but does masterful work with this screenplay by Jane Anderson (wrote The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993), It Could Happen to You (1994), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), one segment of If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000), Normal (2003), The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005), one 2008 episode of Mad Men, and the miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014)), adapted from the 2003 Meg Wolitzer novel of the same name.

There are location shots of Stockholm, but Scotland is mostly standing in for Sweden here.

I liked the classical score by Jocelyn Pook (best known for Eyes Wide Shut (1999), which I saw, and The Merchant of Venice (2004), which I didn't) but cannot find any links to share with you.

Jack and I both agree with Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 86%, more than its audiences at 75.