The Portrait

"The Portrait" is a made for TV film which features the tremendous talents of Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall in the leads. The pair play an elderly couple who are moving to a smaller home, as they are getting up in years. However, their daughter (Cecelia Peck...Gregory's real-life daughter) is horrified and doesn't want to seem any change. After a while, it becomes obvious some changes are necessary.

The film features some darn fine acting. Peck and Bacall are great. But after this, the film stumbles. First, Cecelia Peck's character is poorly written and it's pretty easy to dislike her (which muddles the story a bit). Second, the story really doesn't go much of anywhere. In other words, the acting is great and that makes the film worth seeing...but not much else.

New York artist Margaret Church (Cecilia Peck) is working on her first solo show. She goes home to her parents, Gardner Church (Gregory Peck) and Fanny Church (Lauren Bacall). She wants to paint their portrait. Unbeknownst to her, they have sold the family home and is in the process of moving out.

This is a TV movie on TNT. I am sure that everybody was happy to just see the veteran actors doing the work. Both legendary actors still have it. The real life daughter has less of it. While some haters may want to play the nepo card, I would point more at the writing. The story needs something to drive it. Instead, it is just a bunch of stuff happening. His big speech should be the big climax. The portrait is just the title. I find this boring despite the two screen legends.

Agree with other reviews that the story was weak. I did have to watch it in pieces, otherwise the sentiment became overwhelming. Enjoyed, of course, both the principal stars but definitely wouldn't have bothered otherwise. It WAS a made for television movie, and that is how it plays.

The actors, directors, and camera people did a nice job making this movie, the story was very loose. I was an extra in this movie and can attest that Gregory Peck was a great person in addition to his incredible acting talent. Director Penn got a lot out of the story and worked very hard. True story, shooting on Duke campus had to be suspended for thirty minutes for the bells in Duke Chapel. It was an exasperating day of shooting and Penn's facial expressions and comments when told it was an unavoidable break were priceless. It is well acted and a good Sunday afternoon over a cold glass of sweetened ice tea kind of movie.

They are all three excellent, not just Lauren Bacall and Gregory Peck, but also Cecilia Peck as their daughter, an artist, who goes out to visit them to finish a portrait of them which evidently already once had been difficult to complete, the difficulty of which you understand as they pose for her and make themselves thoroughly impossible. But she needs the portrait for her exhibition, she will not have the gallery without it, so she simply has to bear with them and, like in all families, encounter all kinds of personal crises, especiially as the old couple are on the verge to dementia. But it is beautifully made, the sensitivity all through is genuine, the character play is marvellous, and there will even be a reward in the end. This film is not to be missed by all those who have enjoyed various films with Lauren Bacall and Gregory Peck since the golden 40s to find them still going strong at 69 and 76.