Le Régime

Ok, this is an odd one. And worthy of your attention. The premise seems imaginative but if you've an ear to world history and current events, the story is too plausible to be disregarded as fiction inspired by unrealistic fantasy. If you can't see the parallels to the insidious culture of indulging the sickest whims of our out-of-touch rulers, then this will probably be more irritating than relevant. Stop trying to compare it to anything else because you will mislead anyone curious about it. It's dark. Don't expect it to be humorous. Ironic, yes. Funny, no. The concept is relevant and the performances are fantastic. If you're looking for lighthearted entertainment, then this will probably not be for you. It requires a thoughtful, critical, and open mind to appreciate the satire. It's uncomfortable. It's disturbing in a very biting and calculated way to provoke thought. I like it.

Based on the first episode I'm all in and look forward to the rest of series. Some critics say it isn't funny. I guess that depends on one's particular brand of humor. There are levels and genres of humor. The Regime certainly isn't laugh out loud hilarious and I don't know why anyone expected it to be based on the trailers. Our main character is a very quirky, eccentric woman who believes she is righteous in all she does but has a paranoia of mold. Well, so do I, even if not to her degree. In this episode we learn that her father died of lung disease so it stands to reason she'd be scared and to the degree she is scared is the funny part. Kate Winslet delivers in spades and she gets better every time I watch her. She has the capacity in The Regine to garner sympathy while just having brow beaten one of her staff. It's kooky!

By attempting to merge elements from "The Death of Stalin," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "Borat" into a single narrative, the show becomes a bewildering concoction rather than a cohesive piece. The 'satire' - if it can be called that - stumbles significantly, as it appears unanchored from any semblance of reality. Instead, it leans heavily on bizarrely synthesized stereotypes of Eastern Europe in the American imagination.

The characters are shallow caricatures, lacking depth and authenticity, which further distances the narrative from delivering any meaningful or resonant messages. The show oscillates between trying to be a biting political satire (of what, though?) and a slapstick comedy, never fully committing to either.

The production values and the performances by the cast are commendable for the most part, yet they are not nearly enough to salvage the show from its fundamental flaws.

There's a lot to like about this show. The depiction of a geographically vague old dictatorship in Europe is spot on. It reminds of old autocracies like Romania or present-day Belarus , and constantly balances between amusingly farcical and quietly frightful. And Kate Winslet is absolutely at her peak here, as a nutty, narcissistic ruler.

It's a good thing that they've written it as a mini-series too, because the absurdities could have easily become stale after too many episodes. Unfortunately, the energy built up by the first five installments is not matched by what is essentially a cowardly sixth and last chapter. It opts for an unfulfilling ending that refuses to pick sides and leaves plenty of unanswered questions.

Still, it's highly entertaining and deserves to be watched.

My Review- HBO streaming Foxtel The Regime - Streaming on Foxtel My Rating 6/10

The Regime is billed as a Political satire which it certainly is , however for me it's more of a slapstick comedy than clever satire.

It's worth a look just for the brilliance of Oscar winner Kate Winslet's performance as the witless narcissist Chancellor Elena Vernham who rules like a dictator on speed an unnamed Central European principality .

Elena is quite unhinged even seeking instructions from her mummified father when the proverbial "S"hits the fan.

The unnamed kingdom is centred in a vague location between Switzerland and Germany and its deprived citizens mine plutonium while their leader and their corrupt government live in luxury ,an all too familiar story.

Kate Winslet obviously had great fun filming The Regime and has great comedy timing .

I admired the way she kept up Elenas's lisp impediment throughout the series plus her occasional singing on the local television station to entertain her people at Yuletide.

The Regime actually gets quite dark toward the conclusion as Chancellor Elena's empire begins to crumble and the rebels stage a coup.

Matthias Schoenaerts is also very impressive as the Rasputin like villain Corporal Herbert Zubak who mesmerises Elena with his charms and mysterious health remedies after he helps her surrogate son Oskar who suffers from seizures.

The other impressive cast member is Andrea Riseborough who plays Oskar's birth mother Agnes and personal assistant to Elena she is straight faced and dour throughout but adds real substance to a fractured plot.

This 6 part series In my opinion may have worked more effectively as a feature movie at times it reminded me of Wes Anderson's brilliant 2014 movie The Grand Budapest Hotel .

However this series for me was a bit of a drawn out farce lasting far too long .

The team of writers headed by series creator Will Tracy who wrote The Menu and 3 episodes of Succession which I think are both brilliant I thought lost their way a little in this romp comedy.

Stephen Frears and Jessica Hobbs directed 3 episodes each and I think maybe that's one reason that for me it lost its way for me .

Let's just say I'm glad I watched The Regime for the ensemble performances especially Kate Winslett.