To Olivia[1] (formerly titled An Unquiet Life)[2] is a 2021 British drama film directed by John Hay and starring Hugh Bonneville as Roald Dahl and Keeley Hawes as Patricia Neal. It is based on Stephen Michael Shearer's biography about Neal titled An Unquiet Life.[3] The film features Geoffrey Palmer in his final acting appearance.[4]
| To Olivia | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | John Hay |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | An Unquiet Life by Stephen Michael Shearer |
| Produced by | Donall McCusker |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Graham Frake |
| Edited by | Colin Goudie |
| Music by | Debbie Wiseman |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Sky Cinema |
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
To Olivia was released in the United Kingdom via Sky Cinema on 19 February 2021.[5]
Plot
editThe film covers Dahl and Neal's marriage as they grapple with the loss of their daughter, Olivia, from encephalitis due to measles.
Cast
editProduction
editCasting
editBonneville was cast as Dahl in May 2017.[9][10][11][12] Hawes was cast as Neal in November 2019.[13] Heughan was cast as Paul Newman in December 2019.[14][15][16][17]
Filming
editPrincipal photography began in Surrey on November 14, 2019.[13]
Palmer died in November 2020, but had completed all his scheduled scenes before this time.[4]
Release
editThe film was released in the United Kingdom via Sky Cinema on 19 February 2021.[1][18][19]
In February 2022, it was announced that Vertical Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights to the film, which was released in the United States on April 15, 2022.[20]
Reception
editThe film has a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews, with an average of 5.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Burdened with clichés and guilty of glossing over troublesome aspects of its fact-based story, To Olivia can't quite capture the grief it seeks to dramatize."[21] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film two out of five stars, complimenting the performances but finding it too reverential and safe.[22] Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent gave it three out of five stars, criticizing its portrayal of Dahl and stating, 'It struggles to reconcile the palpable image of a sensitive family man laid low by depression with the more complicated reality that ran alongside it – that of a sometimes-tyrant with a great capacity for manipulation.'[23]
References
edit- ^ a b c McEvoy, Sophie (12 November 2020). "Hugh Bonneville & Keeley Hawes To Star In Roald Dahl Movie To Olivia". Bustle. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville Will Play Roald Dahl in a New Film". Southern Living. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Gordon, Naomi (12 May 2017). "Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville to play Roald Dahl in upcoming movie biopic". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Brown, Brigid (6 November 2020). "'As Time Goes By' Star Geoffrey Palmer Has Passed Away, Age 93". BBC America. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Beasley, Tom (24 December 2020). "Hugh Bonneville becomes Roald Dahl in first look trailer for 'To Olivia'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Hugh Bonneville to Portray Author Roald Dahl in Biopic". Hollywood.com. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Clarke, Stewart (13 November 2019). "Keeley Hawes to Play Patricia Neal in Film About the Star and Roald Dahl (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (17 December 2019). "'Outlander' Star Sam Heughan To Play Paul Newman In Patricia Neal/Roald Dahl Movie Biopic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Cureton, Sean K. (11 May 2017). "Roald Dahl Movie Biopic to Star Hugh Bonneville". Screen Rant. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "'Downton Abbey' Star to Portray Roald Dahl in Biopic". WGAL. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ White, James (11 May 2017). "Hugh Bonneville Will Be Roald Dahl For A New Biopic". Empire. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (11 May 2017). "Cannes: Hugh Bonneville to Play Roald Dahl in New Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b TV News Desk (14 November 2019). "Keeley Hawes Joins Hugh Bonneville In Untitled Patricia Neal/Roald Dahl Film". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ McRady, Rachel (17 December 2019). "'Outlander' Star Sam Heughan To Play Paul Newman In Biopic About Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Romano, Nick (17 December 2019). "Outlander star Sam Heughan to play Paul Newman in Roald Dahl, Patricia Neal biopic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Mahbub, Mufsin (18 December 2019). "Which 'Outlander' Star Is Playing Paul Newman In The Roald Dahl-Patricia Neal Biopic?". International Business Times. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Hallemann, Caroline (17 December 2019). "Outlander Actor Sam Heughan to Play Paul Newman in a New Biopic About Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal". Town & Country. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Houghton, Rianne (12 November 2020). "First look at Line of Duty's Keeley Hawes and Paddington's Hugh Bonneville in new movie". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Butler, Tom (12 November 2020). "First look at Roald Dahl biopic 'To Olivia' starring Hugh Bonneville as iconic author". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (February 23, 2022). "Vertical Entertainment Nabs Roald Dahl Biopic 'To Olivia' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ^ "To Olivia". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "To Olivia review – a glib exploration of Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal's grief". TheGuardian.com. 18 February 2021.
- ^ "To Olivia struggles to reconcile the two sides of Roald Dahl – review". Independent.co.uk. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-06-21.