My Policeman

2022 - 9 - 12

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Roger Ebert"

My Policeman movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert)

Sometimes I look at Harry Styles and I feel bad for him. Not because he isn't getting a fair shake, but because someone told him he could be a leading man ...

“My Policeman” is surface-level queer representation lacking in visual imagination and begging for better performances. We come to find, however, that this trio doesn’t fit into easy boxes: Tom demands law and order; Emma is homophobic; and Patrick is somehow their friend. That is, until we discover that Tom and Patrick are in a closeted sexual relationship. The pain that Patrick caused the couple is what “My Policeman” hopes to tell us about. [Michael Grandage](/cast-and-crew/michael-grandage), “My Policeman” begins in the present day with the older versions of these characters: Tom ( [Linus Roache](/cast-and-crew/linus-roache)) and Marion ( [Gina McKee](/cast-and-crew/gina-mckee)), now retired, live in a seaside town as they go through the motions of their milquetoast marriage. Their steady march toward resignation—which Tom momentarily pauses whenever he visits the sea with their dog—is interrupted with the arrival of their old, now estranged friend Patrick ( [Rupert Everett](/cast-and-crew/rupert-everett)).

'My Policeman' Review: Harry Styles Struggles Through a Troubled ... (Collider.com)

In his third feature film, Harry Styles is still seeking to establish a cinematic identity for himself in My Policeman.

For all the anticipation about this being a star turn for Styles, the lack of depth in his performance and of the film itself ensures it won’t leave nearly the impression it set out to. It is far too neat, relying on a bit of hollow hand waving and a forced false equivalency, when we are still reeling from the revelation that we just heard. Without giving away any details, there is a massive revelation that comes in the last ten minutes that smashes through the story like a freight train. Regrettably, much of this seems caught up in how Styles himself is uncertain and nervous as an actor playing the character. The way it plays out is akin to someone coming up to you, whispering something truly horrifying in your ear, before waving goodbye and leaving with no further explanation. Shedding this is a tough task for even the most talented of performers and Styles just isn't skilled enough yet as an actor to do so. However, there is something about Styles that feels distinct in observing how he is still finding his footing. This explodes in one moment when the three share dinner at home together and the topic of whether Marion will continue to work comes up. Styles only has a couple of modes of emoting, either repressed or angry, making the shift between them quite jarring in a way that feels rushed. He refuses to even discuss the past, disengaging at any moment it is even tangentially referenced. While Marion tries to care for him, Tom won’t even acknowledge his presence and flies into a rage whenever it is brought up to him. This includes the museum where Patrick works and a recital where Tom falls asleep.

First Impressions Of My Policeman Are Here, And People Can't Stop ... (Cinema Blend)

Critics weighed in on My Policeman in early reviews from the Toronto International Film Festival, particularly Harry Styles' performance.

[like Don't Worry Darling, is a divisive film](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/dont-worry-darling-earns-5-minute-applause-at-venice-film-festival-but-the-early-reviews-are-more-mixed), with many strong opinions about its narrative and performances involved. He said MY POLICEMAN isn’t “a gay story about these guys being gay.’ It’s about love and about wasted time to me.” Those remarks — and his performance — suggest H*rry St*les didn’t understand the assignment. Not much works in MY POLICEMAN, a stuffy period piece lacking chemistry, specificity, and namely, good acting. The film is devastating and heartbreaking. It's arresting and simply beautiful. [September 12, 2022] A sweet & sometimes somber love story, #MyPoliceman features excellent performances across the board, in particular David Dawson, Emma Corrin and Harry Styles. Harry Styles had a strong performance as the titular character. It’s an important story that shows how many queer folks the system left behind in past generation. The film is a period drama about a love triangle between a policeman, museum curator and a school teacher. The trailer attracted a lot of attention from Styles’ fans, but now critics who have seen the film are weighing in. Harry Styles has been surprisingly at the forefront of the film festival circuit over the last few weeks, as the singer has launched his acting career to a new level.

Harry Styles' frigid 'My Policeman' should be locked up (New York Post)

Harry Styles, David Dawson and Emma Corrin star in "My Policeman," which comes to Prime Video on Nov. 4 and premiered at the Toronto International Film ...

4](https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront?filterId=OFFER_FILTER%3DPRIME&tag=nypost-20&asc_refurl=https://nypost.com/2022/09/12/harry-styles-frigid-my-policeman-should-be-locked-up/&asc_source=web). Their private, youthful world must contrast with the dramatically-crashing-waves frame story set in 1999, when older Tom (Linus Roache) lives with his wife Marion (Gina McKee), and they take in older Patrick (Rupert Everett) after he’s had a stroke. And who doesn’t adore the gutsy Corrin, who can hop from lamb-like innocence to irrepressible malice in an instant? Tom and Patrick should represent freedom from the ’50s oppression waiting for them outside the door. Styles plays the titular policeman (a word uttered so, so many times) in 1952 England named Tom, who starts to realize he’s gay after he meets Patrick (David Dawson), a confident art-museum curator. Confused Tom leaves in a hurry, and later comes crawling back in an emotional storm.

TIFF 2022: Harry Styles feels 'lucky' at 'My Policeman' premiere (Los Angeles Times)

Harry Styles fans were out in full force for the debut of his romantic drama 'My Policeman,' and the role is a sign of the times.

[flown in the face of gender convention](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-10-18/billy-porter-harry-styles-vogue-dress-cover). When you have the opportunity to work with people that you just feel good being around — they’re both wonderful people to be around — I think having a base of a real friendship outside of the characters allows for the friendship scenes ... The narrative weaves in and out of their 1950s story and their 1990s reunion as a trio (played by Linus Roache, Gina McKee and Rupert Everett, respectively), after something devastating has happened — the third devastating thing to happen to that character. Forget the days of Sinatra or Presley, it wasn’t that long ago (1993, in fact) that And even the Crosby “Going My Way” and the Sinatra “From Here to Eternity” were big-studio pictures in a big-studio world of carefully cultivated personae designed for maximum acceptability. Even David Bowie, who cut a very different swath in his acting efforts, referred to his widely panned “Just a Gigolo” as “My 32 Elvis movies rolled into one.” Those with serious screen ambitions — Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra are among those to win Oscars for their acting — were the exceptions that proved the “Beach Blanket Bingo” rule.

Harry Styles wows Toronto Film Festival crowd, calls 'My Policeman ... (USA TODAY)

A week after 'Spitgate' drama in Venice, British pop star/actor Harry Styles hit Toronto to greet fans and premiere Amazon's gay drama 'My Policeman.'

And then I'm the man frozen in time who's living with that heartache and heartbreak." "Harry, for me, was the young man with all of his future ahead of him and all that possibility and color and potential. During a Q&A after the premiere, Styles remarked he felt "very lucky" to work with Corrin and Dawson in scenes where the three enjoy life as compatriots but also sequences of intimacy and arguments. Styles' appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival Sunday to unveil "My Policeman" was less controversial: Onstage, he helped co-star Emma Corrin ("The Crown") with the formidable cape on her bodysuit and outside, Styles was greeted with Beatlemania-style shrieks and screams from his fans. Styles stars in the '50s narrative as closeted gay Brighton police officer Tom, who marries young schoolteacher Marion (Corrin) while engaging in a secret love affair with their friend, museum curator Patrick (David Dawson). The British ensemble drama "My Policeman" (in theaters Oct.