Hey everybody and welcome to a brand new review! For this one, I will be looking into something that is a bit outside my wheelhouse. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is the third installment in a trilogy of films that essentially serve as follow ups to the immensely popular PBS TV show of the same name. I myself have not seen a single episode of this show, but am definitely aware of its popularity and quite enjoy a lot of the actors involved. So, I decided to do something of an “experiment” and go watch the movies to see how I would feel about them as someone who has not watched the show. I quite enjoyed the first two as they are enjoyable looks into the life of this high class British family and their servants and I was able to follow them pretty well, even if it can be a lot to take in initially as someone who hasn’t seen the show. So now, we come to this allegedly final entry in the franchise that serves to tie up all the remaining loose ends for the Crawley family. Was it a worthy closing chapter? Let’s jump right in and see what this last trip to Downton has to offer!
Set during the 1930s, we start off with the Crawleys in London for various businesses, including going to Guy Dexter’s new play and attending Lady Petersfield’s ball. However news soon breaks out regarding Lady Mary’s divorce with Henry Talbot, leading her to be kicked out of the ball due to feared embarrassment in front of the royals and before she knows it, everyone is talking about it much to her and her family’s dismay. When they get back to Downton, they get a visit from Lady Grantham’s brother, Harold Levinson, who has come from America following the death of their mother. He reveals some troubling news: he wasted their mother’s fortune on poor investments and now is trying to find ways to make up his losses and repay his debts, which includes potentially investing the remaining assets in Downton. Now with all of this going on, the Grantham family must figure out what they are going to do and how they will move forward into the new era.
I’m not sure how much of an popular or unpopular take this is among the fanbase, but I have found that I have enjoyed these last two movies more than the first in this franchise. As enjoyable as it was, I did feel it had a little too much going on with certain plotlines getting more time to shine than others. With the sequels, I feel there’s a bit more given to everyone and I think Grand Finale mostly succeeds in this regard. It never bores and is consistently entertaining with the plotlines that are presented doing the job in giving some interesting drama for our household to deal with. Not having seen the show, I am impressed by how well these movie are able to balance their tones quite nicely as there is a lot more comedy present than I expected with the various character interactions providing some snappy banter, but aside from most of it landing, it feels naturally woven into things instead of distracting from the melodrama at play. As for how this works as a finale, it certainly did feel like an appropriate end for things and I like the way in which the various arcs were wrapped up and there were plenty of pay offs that long time viewers will likely appreciate.
There’s much that is being reflected on here in regards to legacy and what the best way to continue that on is. We see our characters try to figure this out and it’s compelling seeing them (especially the older ones) take stock in their life choices and figuring out if it is better for them to keep doing the work, or move on to something else so that the next generation can continue to prosper. We see this play out in various ways when it comes to both the family and their servants as both parties are figuring out just what their place is in this new world they are entering into. Similar, to the other two though, this one has a “lazy river” ish feel to it where it doesn’t feel like there is too much urgency going on, despite seemingly big status quo changes going about. On one hand, the focus on character interactions is still neat and I like what was presented. On the other, there are some conflicts that are resolved a little too quickly and in a way that is simpler than one would expect.
Another aspect I admire about these films is how well they are able to capture the early 1900s environment as there was clearly a lot of effort put into making this into a high quality looking period piece. The production design impressively brings to life 1930s era England and the actual Downton house continues to be an impressive work of architecture, with much detail strewn throughout to bring to life the both the grandness of the main interior as well as the more humble area for the servants that shows the contrast between the two lifestyles. The costumes are also nicely done with the family having some appropriately lavish and formal fits that give them an air of dignity and I could tell that much research must’ve been done in order to get everything just right in regards to periodical accuracy. The vibe is quite nice and makes this a world that is nice to delve into (as likely of a more “clean” look into this era might be compared to in reality). Helping is John Lunn’s music, which manages to be very sweeping and works in conveying a sense of grandeur that matches the family very well and I can see why this theme is as iconic as it is.
As little experience I have with the show, I am definitely aware of the pedigree of acting talent it has assembled for as long as it has been going and that is among the main reasons why I have been able to latch onto the movies fairly decently. I think this one has the most consistent use of the ensemble cast in that I felt most everyone had some time to shine. I especially felt Hugh Bonneville’s Robert Crawley was focused on way more in these past two installments after being somewhat sidelined in the first film. Here, he’s given a substantial amount of character growth as he has to reckon with the fact that it may be time for him to move on from being The Earl of Grantham. Bonneville is per usual excellent at playing very stubborn characters who deep down want what’s best for who they love and I think Robert is another great example and Bonneville just get some nice moments of reflection that give the impression that he is someone who has done much with his life and must decide how he wants to continue living it. I also found that Michelle Dockery gets a lot of solid material here as Lady Margaret, who is also trying to figure out what she wants to be, after the divorce and dealing with the pushback she is getting from all of the media attention around this. Dockery is able to balance her deadpan wit with emotionally compelling introspection as we get some interesting exploration into the roles of women in society and how they are viewed to be in certain roles and the inner conflict she has in wanting to go her own direction serves as a solid way to get to the pay off that most people were likely expecting. I do wonder just how unpopular of a character was her husband to the point that the writers left him out of this trilogy completely.
When it comes to the rest of the supporting cast, it seems like most everyone that has played a fairly substantial role in either the series or the movies gets some time to chime in, which is appropriate. Elizabeth McGovern continues to have nice chemistry with Bonneville as Cora Crawley, contrasting nicely with his strictness and concerns as the more relaxed of the two, but is more than willing to put people in their place when needed, while Laura Carmichael gets some genuinely sweet scenes with Dockery as Lady Margaret’s sister, Edith, and gets a very satisfying scene in which she stands up for the family big time. My personal favorites though would land on the servant side as I find Jim Carter to be a delight as the former Crawley family butler, Mr. Carson, whose adherence to being the most loyal and chivalrous butler possible makes him both admirable and hilarious when he finds himself in less than desirable circumstances (find it a bit amusing how it seems like the show made a big deal about him retiring, only for him to just stick around for reasons just to keep him in the fold).
I also greatly enjoy the duo of Lesley Nicol’s cook, Mason, and her assistant, Daisy, (Sophie McShera) as they provide excellent comic relief when necessary with their constant gossip about the going ons at Downton and I thought they were very well served here in regards to where their characters ended up when everything wraps up. Was also a joy to see Paul Giamatti as Harold as that actor usually does no wrong and he has fun playing a well meaning man who just so happened to make some really bad financial decisions and he walks a fine line between sympathetic while still being accountable for his actions. The big new actor added here would be Alessandro Nivola as Harold’s finanical advisor, Gus Sambrook, and he ends up being something of a new love interest for Margaret. Nivola is quite good at conveying a charming demeanor that ends up being a facade for someone who is more slimy than expected. There are so many other players involved here that it’s hard for most of them to get more than a short little arc or appearance that’s only a few scenes. That’s an issue each of these movies have faced, but at the very least they are entertaining espicailly when thos involved in the film industry side come into play like Arty Froushan’s eccentric performer, Noel Coward.
Overall, I had a very pleasant time with Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale as it serves as a nice swan song for this series. It has a little too much to juggle, feels a bit too leisurely paced at times, and maybe packs in a bit too many characters, but it is consistently entertaining, has thoughtful subjects at its mind, has nice emotional moments, is polished in terms of production, and has a nice cast of characters played by wonderful performers. Would I have gotten even more out of it, if I had seen the show? Absolutely, but it’s to these movies credit that they are able to convey enough to make one invested and I do think that fans will likely be very satisfied by what is served here. It was quite the journey watching these with only a simple understanding of the show and it was honestly a fun one to partake in. In fact, I enjoyed these movies quite a bit, that I am interested in checking out the show at some point to get a better understanding of these characters. I’m not sure if more will be done with this property (the ending has a sense of finality, but there is a direction that could be taken if more is to be done), but no matter what, there are a number of different endpoints that fans can choose to jump off with these movies. Also RIP Dame Maggie Smith, who is given a lovely send off here.
Rating: B+
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