The Danish Girl (2015)

The story itself is pretty mediocre—it feels half-baked and never quite finds its footing. While the costume design and makeup are top-tier, Eddie is a bit much; that forced smile he carries through the whole movie gets grating after a while. On the other hand, Alicia Vikander delivers another solid performance, building on the momentum she had after Ex Machina. Ultimately, the film feels lukewarm and unpolished. It’ll probably limp to a decent opening weekend, but compared to Joy, it’s easily the weakest contender in the Oscar race.

Vikander totally outshone Redmayne here.🙏

I honestly feel like Redmayne is overrated. Just because he snagged an Oscar for playing someone with a chronic illness doesn't automatically make him a top-tier actor. Honestly, aiming for an Oscar this year by playing a transgender character feels like a really cheap move on his part.

Let him play someone who isn't sick, disabled, or gay, and then we can actually judge what kind of actor he is.

I wouldn't even consider watching that unless you were footing the bill for my ticket and popcorn. ☕

Noah Roberts46 said:I wouldn't even consider watching that unless you were footing the bill for my ticket and popcorn. ☕

🤣

I'll just catch it streaming at home...
Honestly, I only care about seeing Vikander's performance...

Eric Hayes61 said:I honestly feel like Redmayne is overrated. Just because he snagged an Oscar for playing someone with a chronic illness doesn't automatically make him a top-tier actor. Honestly, aiming for an Oscar this year by playing a transgender character feels like a really cheap move on his part.

Let him play someone who isn't sick, disabled, or gay, and then we can actually judge what kind of actor he is.

Low? Good grief, even Leo has been chasing Oscars for years by playing essentially the same archetype over and over again, so what of it?...

The film itself is poorly executed, shallowly written, and the actors did about as well as they could given the circumstances...

It’s not really about Eddie being the issue; the real problem lies with an audience that seems to prioritize those types of transformative roles over more "ordinary" performances. That said, I wouldn't go so far as to say Leo is doing the exact same thing

Rachel Young3 said:🤣

I'll just catch it streaming at home...
Honestly, I only care about seeing Vikander's performance...

I actually ended up watching it via torrent too, mostly just to see how she stacks up against the other nominees.

Personally, I think Vikander is a fantastic actress, and I’m honestly thrilled to see her finally breaking through.
The first time I saw her was in A Royal Affair, and she was absolutely incredible in that role.

This movie itself isn't great, but she gave it everything she had—that's why I feel she actually outshone Eddie.

As for whether he's overrated, I haven't seen enough of his work to make a final call. However, while he was brilliant last year playing Hawking, his performance in Jupiter Ascending was, frankly, a disaster. I could hardly believe it was the same actor.
In this one, he's just okay.

Eric Hayes61 said:It’s not really about Eddie being the issue; the real problem lies with an audience that seems to prioritize those types of transformative roles over more "ordinary" performances. That said, I wouldn't go so far as to say Leo is doing the exact same thing

Exactly. At least he’s worked with Nolan and Tarantino. Everyone knows those guys aren't just manufacturing roles specifically to chase an Oscar.

Given how low my expectations were going into this, I actually found myself pleasantly surprised by the film. Now, whether that’s down to an absolutely stellar performance by Alicia Vikander or the quality of the movie itself is something I'll leave for you all to decide. 🙂

I'm honestly so thrilled that Vikander took home the Choice Award 👍

Killer plot. 🙏

The costumes are stunning. 👍

Vikander absolutely nailed the role. 🙏

Honestly, this movie is underrated; it deserves a much higher rating on IMDb.

That final scene with the joke is perfection. 🙏

Watched it on Saturday.

Neither I nor my wife actually enjoyed it. It was way too long, overacted, and just felt heavy. Basically... an Oscar cliché. Definitely not as good as The King's Speech. And the lead actress has this olive complexion while trying to play a Danish woman... it just didn't work. Plus, it’s depressingly bleak, and I usually like dramas.

Jerry Kern11 said:Killer plot. 🙏

The costumes are stunning. 👍

Vikander absolutely nailed the role. 🙏

Honestly, this movie is underrated; it deserves a much higher rating on IMDb.

That final scene with the joke is perfection. 🙏

Everything worked for me except for Eddie—he just didn't quite nail the role... I can't think of anyone who could have done it better right now, but he certainly wasn't it. That shy little smile Lili gives? It honestly just gets tedious...😵

Rebecca Peterson3 said:Low? Good grief, even Leo has been chasing Oscars for years by playing essentially the same archetype over and over again, so what of it?...

The film itself is poorly executed, shallowly written, and the actors did about as well as they could given the circumstances...

I guess I could try to make a case for it, but honestly, it’s hard to know where to start without more context. Maybe if you give me a specific topic or an idea to work with, I can weigh in. I'm not really one for long-winded debates, but I'll give it a shot if there's something to talk about. Just let me know.

Harold Cox28 said:Watched it on Saturday.

Neither I nor my wife actually enjoyed it. It was way too long, overacted, and just felt heavy. Basically... an Oscar cliché. Definitely not as good as The King's Speech. And the lead actress has this olive complexion while trying to play a Danish woman... it just didn't work. Plus, it’s depressingly bleak, and I usually like dramas.

Too heavy? I mean, what kind of drama is that if you're just... fine with it? ovo Too much? Maybe. 🕺

And this comment about The Danish Girl... 🤦 That stereotype that all Scandinavians are white as cheese... I guess it's a thing. 🤣 Vikander is actually a Swedish woman, I guess.

dustytinker52 said:Everything worked for me except for Eddie—he just didn't quite nail the role... I can't think of anyone who could have done it better right now, but he certainly wasn't it. That shy little smile Lili gives? It honestly just gets tedious...😵

You haven't got a clue.
That smile and those facial expressions... they just hit the mark. It captures that whole feeling of trying to suppress who you really are. I guess it’s just spot on.

I thought this movie was just wonderful. Everything about it—the plot, how they handled the psychology of what Einar/Lili was going through, even the costumes and the sets... it was all great. And the acting? I don't know who I liked better, Alicia or Eddie. They just seemed to complement each other perfectly.

My only real gripe is that they didn't quite show the full reason behind her death. In reality, just like how it's portrayed in the movie, Lili wanted to fully transition into being a woman. She ended up passing away due to complications from her fourth surgery—an organ transplant—because her body rejected it, which led to heart failure and infections. I guess they just skipped over those details.

Honestly, it’s a great movie all around. That 6.8 on IMDb just doesn't seem right to me. I guess it deserves better.

Eddie and Lili Elbe look nothing alike. If you're going to paint such an important figure, at least try to make them resemble the actual person.
Way too heavy, way too depressing. I actually turned it off halfway through. It feels like it was just manufactured for an Oscar, and the acting is totally forced.

The movie was solid and well-made, but I walked away with way too many unanswered questions. If they were going to make a film about this, they really should have gone deeper into what can actually be achieved through surgery. I honestly thought it was impossible to pull off a transition like that, yet the movie leaves everything feeling kind of vague on that front. It's a bummer.🍿

Daniel Kelly57 said:The movie was solid and well-made, but I walked away with way too many unanswered questions. If they were going to make a film about this, they really should have gone deeper into what can actually be achieved through surgery. I honestly thought it was impossible to pull off a transition like that, yet the movie leaves everything feeling kind of vague on that front. It's a bummer.🍿

Yeah, it was impossible. That’s why she died—she went in for a uterine transplant that she ended up rejecting, which led to an infection.
The movie focused more on their internal struggle than the medical facts. I found out about the infection part on Wikipedia.

Justin Rogers5 said:Eddie and Lili Elbe look nothing alike. If you're going to paint such an important figure, at least try to make them resemble the actual person.
Way too heavy, way too depressing. I actually turned it off halfway through. It feels like it was just manufactured for an Oscar, and the acting is totally forced.

Why though?
It’s not like this is the first or last time they cast someone who looks somewhat similar just because they're a great actor.
And honestly, there isn't a massive difference between how "real life Lili" looked and Eddie... facial features aren't really the point for the story being told.

All these comments about doing it for the Oscar are getting old, maybe even for 🥱