Covering the time period when Alfred Hitchcock made "Psycho", this film detailed the obstacles in getting the film made, albeit at considerable financial and professional risk to him (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife Alma (Helen Mirren), but the film doesn't quite gell with its story elements. While some of the movie-making segments are interesting (negotiating with the ratings board on how much could be shown of the now-famous shower scene from "Psycho", wrangling with the studio head, "technical" and hands-on direction of Janet Leigh during the shower scene), Alma's subplot with another screenwriter just occupies some screen time to gives Hitchcock some nuggets for feeding his paranoia and highlight the couple's own individual insecurities in their middle-aged years. And throughout, the script features Hitchcock's tripping out with his own inner demons as he struggled to put the film together. It's not a messy film, just not an engaging film overall.
I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.
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