Victoria and Abdul

Dench is extraordinary as the aging monarch, but this drama doesn't quite reveal enough about the mysterious, fascinating friendship between the queen and her Indian servant-turned-mentor. Victoria and Abdul is similar in scope and sequence to 1997's John Madden-directed Mrs. Brown, in which Dench also starred as Queen Victoria and which also involved the remarkable story of the monarch's unconventional relationship with a servant who became a beloved confidante. In some ways, Abdul is even more noteworthy than the earlier film's John Brown (Billy Connolly), because, while there are no sexual rumors about his relationship with the queen, the Indian Muslim Abdul was elevated far above the Scottish Brown. In a time when British whites overtly considered themselves superior to the black and brown citizens of their extended empire, that was extraordinary.

Fazal, a Bollywood star, is definitely appealing, but his portrayal of Abdul is a little too subdued (particularly when compared to Dench's performance) to justify how deeply the queen became attached to him. Izzard is entertaining as Bertie, the Prince of Wales, who's slightly villainous in his approach to Abdul. But director Stephen Frears introduces real questions that the script never answers, and the film depicts Abdul as far too saintly to seem real, especially considering a few unsavory things revealed about him. Ultimately this is a movie you watch to see Dench nail another performance as a former queen of England -- and she's quite riveting as the bored, grumpy, aging Victoria who finally finds someone who can cure her monarchy's monotony.