Review: 'The Duke' is a charming British comedy with an impeccable cast

The Duke
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: Roger Michell
Writers: Roger Michell, Clive Coleman
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead
Genre: Biography, Comedy
Rated: R for language and brief sexuality

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) —Synopsis: An occasionally employed activist steals Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington to protest television fees.

Review: It is 1961 and Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) refuses to pay for a television license. He doesn’t watch the BBC. He’s even modified his television so that he can only watch the free-to-air station ITV. The television enforcers don’t care. He needs to pay.

Bunton is something of an embarrassment to his exhausted wife, Dorothy (Helen Mirren), who has put up with his idealistic protests and inability to keep a job for decades. Nevertheless, it is quite apparent that she loves him.

When the UK pays an outlandish amount of money to own Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington, Bunton sees an opportunity to make headlines. A chance to finally make a difference. So, he steals it from the National Portrait Gallery and hides it in the back of his wardrobe.

With the painting stolen, a major investigation into its whereabouts is launched. Police are looking for a group of highly skilled thieves. You can’t just walk into a museum and walk out with its newest acquisition. Or can you?

There’s a sense of absurdity that abounds in “The Duke.” A lighthearted frivolity that couldn’t feel more British if it tried. Bunton is a man of the people. The people are completely unaware. Bunton’s protests tend to disperse a crowd, rather than making one. “The Duke” is based on a true story. Because of course it is.

It is paramount that the audience sympathize (if not entirely support) this opinionated man who has managed to do very little of anything outside of irritate his wife and neighbors. Thankfully Broadbent is more than capable of winning over an audience. In fact, you admire him for his dedication. You don’t question why his son, Jackie (Fionn Whitehead), sees his father as a minor icon. You just hope that Jackie doesn't follow his father's footsteps too closely.

Sadly, this is the final film for director Roger Michell ("Notting Hill," "Tea with the Dames"), who died in September 2021.

If you’re looking for something lighthearted, British, and funny, I highly recommend “The Duke.”