It is hard to believe that Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, a Dame and a Sir who are lions of the British acting class, never co-starred in a movie together before. It seems a natural teaming, and indeed they have proved that onstage, but until now never on the screen. Fortunately director Bill Condon has fixed that injustice for movie lovers, and the pair are perfectly matched in this new twisty, sensational suspense thriller that’s worthy of Hitchcock.
Without offering any spoilers, the plot revolves around Roy and Betty , two lonely, elderly and now-single people who join an online dating service, in Betty’s case just longing for companionship after becoming a widow. One thing leads to another and they meet in a restaurant, like what they see, and before long — in completely platonic ways — find themselves sleeping under the same roof in Betty’s house when she allows him to stay over after he injures his leg.
You can imagine what Hitchcock might has done with this setup, and Condon plays this deception game for all it’s worth. He is smart enough to know who he has starring in this, and the filmmaker lets these two old pros run with it. It is a joy to watch acting of this caliber in an old-fashioned style of film that you realize as you are watching has been deeply missed.