A really good story about an elderly con man named Roy (Ian McKellen) who uses a dating service to find unsuspecting wealthy women to snooker them out of their money. Roy meets Betty (Helen Mirren) and the two of them hit it off but not in a romantic way, but more of a companionship, at least in her world. When he fakes an injury, she invites him into her house and he ends up staying as their relationship gets closer. Roy is a very sneaky and smart man where everything is choreographed and planned out for a greater purpose and long game. Mirren apparently, seems to fall for it as she leads a lonely and vulnerable life. The story unfolds very well and it increasingly gets more and more interesting. How is this old creep going to get caught? Will he get caught? Betty has a grandson who is suspicious of him, but he never gets close enough and by the time he does unfold some new information, it’s too late. Fortunately, things aren’t always what they seem. This film works because its being anchored by pros. We’ve seen this story done before but it works this time as you begin to really believe the stories that Roy weaves and believe that Betty is really this gullible. The movie moves along and is paced well. You get really caught up in this and I enjoyed it.
Rating: (***1/2)
Eric at the Movies 