Miss Potter is a true story based on the life of noted children’s author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter. Miss Potter is an eccentric spinster with a penchant for drawing born into a privileged upper class British household. What makes Miss Potter eccentric? She doesn’t care about improving her already lofty station by marrying well. She wants to publish her work, and she interacts with her illustrated animal characters as if they are real and actually communicating with her. Two degrees to the right or the left, she would be stark raving mad, but because she is functional, her behavior is charming and profitable. Balance is everything.
Miss Potter really shocks her family by not only throwing herself into the publishing world, but becoming socially familiar with her publisher’s family. Miss Potter briefly feels predictable as her relationship with her publisher becomes more romantic, but because Miss Potter is based on real life and not some trite script, things take a dramatic turn, not entirely unpredictable, but unexpected events act as a catalyst for Miss Potter to even become more than a beloved and financially successful author, but an independent woman and conservationist who would strike out on her own apart from her family, which was shocking for that time considering that even as a grown woman, she always had to be in the company of a woman when with a man.
Do not let the fact that Renée Zellweger stars in Miss Potter dissuade you from watching it. I like Zellweger, but I know that she is a deal breaker for many moviegoers. Miss Potter reminded me of old school CBS Hallmark movies like Sarah Plain and Tall or The Secret Garden, and I’m a bit surprised that Miss Potter didn’t win more accolades. I haven’t seen Finding Neverland yet, but many people appear to deride Miss Potter as a ripoff. I have no idea if Miss Potter tried to exploit the success of Finding Neverland, but it seems like there is plenty of room for biopics of famous children’s authors with excellent casts.
Miss Potter is an utterly charming period piece that encourages its viewers to celebrate what makes them different and depicts conformity to society’s arbitrary rules as death to joy. Miss Potter is a perfect must see for children and adults.