I'm a big Downton Abbey fan...not huge enough where I could remember all of the character's names and storylines going into this movie, but big enough where everything came back to me as the movie played out.
It was like seeing old college friends and wondering why you didn't stay in closer touch for all these years, they're just so great!
My mom and I saw the movie together, and as it was rated PG, I didn't think there would be any controversial storylines as in the tv series. But I was slightly wrong. Thomas Barrow has a little love affair with another man (spoiler alert: they kiss and he also dances with another man). So while it's not R-rated-material, I don't want to have to explain homosexual relationships to my little children, who could otherwise have watched this film. I would have rated it PG-13 based on that storyline alone.
I don't want to ruin the funniest scene in the movie, but Mosley steals the show. It was Mr. Bean-esque and I still laugh just remembering it.
As for the plot, it's nothing super dramatic, overly sad, or hysterically funny...but it's just good. Reminiscent of the Christmas party episodes in Downton Abbey, when you just feel happy watching everyone get along. Don't get me wrong, it's not all smooth sailing in the home! There's a kleptomaniac, a marriage on the brinks, a pregnancy announcement, an attempted assassination, a secret identity, a blossoming romance, and on and on. A dramatic movie can't be anything less than dramatic, right?
The banter between the Dowager Countess and Isobel Crawley is, once again phenomenal. I saw the movie on opening night, and the theater was crowded, so everytime Maggie Smith cracked a sarcastic one liner, everybody laughed and I couldn't always here the retort. I will definitely have to rent the movie at home to make sure I can hear the dialogue fully.
Besides the King and Queen of England, their daughter and her family, there were two new characters who played a significant role in the movie. Lady Bagshaw and Lucy Smith have the biggest plot twist in the movie, and I actually didn't see it coming until right before the reveal (I thought it was going a completely different way and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!)
I did find Lady Edith a bit of a complaining bore, as is typical for her character, and though she had a valid point to complain about, she still does it in the most annoying way possible. "Why do I never get what I want - waaaahhhh!" Lady Mary is much nicer in the movie than she was in the tv series, and her doubt of the continuation of Downton and her worries about the royal visit are put in the hands of Carson and Anna, her servants, but also her closest friends.
It truly is the the "Downstairs" cast who shines in the film, and left me with much to ponder about the value of hard work and the worth one feels when a job is done right. Though they are "just servants" in the eyes of the world, they all take pride in their job and want to show it. One could look at the whole Downton Abbey setup and feel badly for the servants, but really, working in a house like that was a great job for them at the time, and created a village of support and friendship. As Anna tells Lady Mary when she wonders if she should close the doors, "Downton is the heart of this community, and you're keeping it beating!"
In the end, the overall takeaways are that love can be found when least expected, family sticks together, hard work is valued, and true friendships are not defined by class. I loved the film, as will you if you're a Downton fan, and will definitely watch it again!
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