The Merry Gentleman

If every good festive film requires a dollop of misery to counter the sparkles, The Merry Gentleman certainly fits the bill. When Kate (Kelly MacDonald), a young woman beginning a new life after escaping from her abusive husband, unwittingly prevents world-weary hitman Frank (Michael Keaton) from killing himself just before Christmas, a tentative relationship develops between them. A meditation on tired, crumpled masculinity which is no longer certain of itself, the film is delicately paced, with some beautiful camerawork. It feels, however, that if Keaton, who also directed the film, had allowed himself a little more screen time, his relationship with MacDonald’s character might have been more engaging. MacDonald admirably carries the film, but is never as memorable as she was in the Coens’ No Country For Old Men, while Keaton’s quietly observed performance begs for more visibility. The Merry Gentleman is a tender, compassionate film, but undoubtedly one which would have benefited from greater focus on the relationship between its central characters.