Notes on a Scandal

I can imagine many viewers seeing this film and thinking its story is almost unbelievable. Hardly. The strength of this movie is its keen perception of the nature of the human animal--we do what we can do, and not in a good, first-responder "we're doing all we can" way. The animal does what it can get away with, mostly, and this story is largely about that, presenting that fact in a way that's searingly honest throughout. The screenplay is smart if not exceptional, and Dench and Blanchett present the kinds of performances you expect as routine from two such fine actresses, while most of the rest of the cast is good but fairly standard. I wouldn't say this is an all-time great, but it's certainly worth a look as a good film, and as a portrait of human nature.