Phantom Thread

Phantom Thread (2017)

91% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 234 reviews)

Runtime: 130 minutes

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Richard Graham, Camilla Rutherford

From: Focus Features

This was a movie I am glad I saw theatrically. See why below: 

As I've done the past few years, one of the two Saturdays that select AMC Theatres hold a marathon of some Best Picture Oscar nominees, I'll be there. This time, on March 3 I'll be seeing Dunkirk again, The Darkest Hour, Call Me by Your Name, The Post, and Get Out; you can expect reviews then. I won't be seeing the rest of the nominees before the ceremony-then again I never do-but this movie I heard strong things about, I do rate some of the director's movies quite high and while retirements in the entertainment or sports industries I never take too seriously, Daniel Day-Lewis has only made 9 films since '93 and as he's 60 years old, it is possible he'll never act in a movie again.

I went into the movie pretty cold; if I ever saw a trailer, it went in one ear and out the other. I just knew the basic plot of how the amusingly named Reynolds Woodcock was a fashion designer in 1950's London and he gets to know Vicky Krieps. I did see a review mention a comparison to something that I was not expecting (which was the case) but otherwise I did not know what would happen. I won't spoil things myself; I'll just mention some traits of Mr. Woodcock.

As he was someone who designed garments for high class people-including royalty-it is not a shock to hear he would be a mercurial person, someone who is not always a pleasant person to be around. Being driven and obsessed with such a job is one thing, but at times I did feel bad for Krieps' Alma character. Maybe I read too much into it and I definitely mean no offense but Woodcock has some Aspergerian traits, including having a set routine, being annoyed by certain things that probably won't enrage most others (nice sound design in those scenes expressed that quite well), and awkward social interactions.

He happens to have a sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville) and they run his fashion house. She is a rather gruff and serious person, so it was always fascinating any combination of Cyril, Alma and Reynolds interacting with each other. The plot, I've come to understand the general public is not as over the moon for it as people like us or the critics. In some ways I can understand why those aspects weren't for them, but such things as the methodical pace of the story I was fine with. The movie would have failed if the costumes were not excellent; thankfully all the outfits are, and not just what Mr. Woodcock designed. Also deserving of praise is the cinematography and Jonny Greenwood's score.


The performances of Lewis, Krieps and Manville were all tremendous, and they were a large part of why I give this movie such a high rating. This is not my favorite PT Anderson movie nor is it my favorite performance from Daniel Day-Lewis but if this is his last hurrah, Phantom Thread is a nice way to go out.