'Before I Go to Sleep,' movie review
This dull thriller wastes the potential of Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth.
Both stars are examples of what one can do, or choose not to do, after winning an Oscar. Each deserved the Academy Award - she for 2002's 'The Hours,' he for 2010's 'The King's Speech.' But since their big nights, it's hard to think of two recent actors who have gone small, for better or worse.
Kidman's done major films, but her brightest spots have been in indies like 'Birth,' 'Fur' and 'Margot at the Wedding.' Not so bright: 'The Paperboy' and 'Grace of Monaco.' Firth was fine in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and shone in 'Magic in the Moonlight,' but they were between lesser lights like 'Arthur Newman,' 'Devil's Knot' and 'The Railway Man.'
This time around, Kidman plays Christine Lucas, who wakes one day and doesn't know the man sleeping next to her. He says he's her husband, Ben. But Ben (Firth) is calm as he explains Christine's confusion - because this has apparently been going on for years. She cannot make new memories, due to a physical trauma.
Christine starts writing notes and making recordings to keep herself moored. Then a mysterious doctor (Mark Strong) calls to give her an update on her condition. He seems unusually close to her, while Ben seems distant. Soon Christine hears, from a pre-accident friend, about another man once part of her life. There's also news about a woman from Ben's past, and clues to all that Christine may have lost.
With a little streamlining, writer-director Rowan Joffe ('The American') could have turned this adaptation of a novel into something more. The main twist would fit into the economical little tales that filled 1950s anthology shows like 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents.' But the movie is slow and drawn out. Any tension that could be derived from Chris' rediscovery of her identity is like 'Memento' on muscle relaxants.
As for the stars, Kidman and Firth's appeal remains solid. Yet it's still a shame to see them in another film that puts you to sleep.
jneumaier@nydailynews.com
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