The story of the love affair between FDR and his distant cousin Margaret "Daisy" Suckley, centered around the weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of the United Kingdom visited upstate New York.
Whether it bears any resemblance to what actually happened is almost academic in a film that takes a precious moment in time and transforms it into a witty, civilised country house drama.
Roger Michell’s film is high on chutzpah.
It’s icky stuff, not helped by Murray giving perhaps the worst performance of his career. And I include Garfield 2.
The picture can't quite make up its mind, though, whether it wants to be a silly comedy of manners set in the home of the President's mother, or a moving drama about being the other woman.
There’s much of historical interest here, and it’s very well acted, if a little slow.
The film tinkles on affably, never quite sure of its focus but civilised, gentle, prettily-mannered.
Disappointing given the talent and situation, dull as ditchwater and historically suspect, another The King’s Speech it definitely is not. Nice costumes, though.
As a historical footnote it may contain truth – the script is based on Daisy's diaries, found after her death in 1991 – but that doesn't mean it has anything to say.
The movie insists on an unearned sentimentality and nostalgia about a situation and a period that is never fully evoked or explored.
Hyde Park on Hudson has precious little truck with reality, either historical or emotional: it’s a thin tale shot with a kind of manic cosiness that belies its slightly creepy plot.
What appeals about Hyde Park on Hudson is its easy nonchalance: it’s never trying too hard to win us over, which is exactly why it does.
Officially, [this] may not be a sequel to The King's Speech, but unofficially there's no two ways about it...And, like most sequels, this one obeys the law of diminishing returns.
An oddly pale companion piece to The King's Speech and made with a similar eye to the American market.
A frustrating, wasted opportunity, destined to remain in the shadow of its cinematic sibling.
It works as a showcase for Murray to demonstrate some impressive range. The scenes between his chair-bound womaniser and Samuel West’s stammering monarch are undoubtedly the film’s strongest, so much so in fact that you wish the movie had focussed on their ‘special relationship’ instead.
Revealing a royal taste for hotdogs and a president's two secret lovers
From The Big C to the Oval Office
General release. Check local listings for show times.