The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

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The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

PG-13

2021

1h 51m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

157 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever. Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the "electrical" mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy).

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Critics Consensus

Sparked by a pair of well-matched leads, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain honors its real-life subject by adding a dash of whimsy to the standard biopic formula.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

This film about the eccentric Victorian artist famed for his cat portraits presents a far-too-quaint and romanticised vision of mental illness.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 19, 2024

Full Review

Hanna Flint

Time Out

It's an effervescent movie, one that reflects the colourful whimsy of Wain's work and a far more vivid image of Victorian and Edwardian England than your usual period film.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 14, 2022

Full Review

Lydia Figes

Little White Lies

There is rarely a dull moment in this colourful film.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 5, 2022

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

A biopic that offers a finely tuned performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, but that, apart from some visual constructions, becomes boring and a little redundant. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Sep 10, 2023

Full Review

Andrea Thompson

A Reel of One's Own

The more “Electrical Life” goes on, the more buried it becomes, sometimes literally, under a sea of quirk rather than delving into just how far Wain fell and how his vulnerability left him exploited.

Rated: C-

Dec 19, 2022

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

An overdose of whimsy that’s focus is often distracted like a cat chasing a laser.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 21, 2022

Full Review

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Laurie

An emotional yet inspirational story about art, love, mental illness, and finding your way through life using art. Good use of cinematic effects to capture the schizophrenic experience. Interesting to note that Wain popularized cats as pets, too.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/08/21

Full Review

Linda A

Delightful and very endearing movie - loved it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/21

Full Review

Vesuvi T

I strongly resonated with the tale of this eccentric artist... his hardships... and his legacy. I don't think this is the type of movie for everyone, but it was certainly for me.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/21

Full Review

Pamela J

Interesting period piece Enjoyed it - well acted

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/24/21

Full Review

jeffrey

The most human and personable weve ever seen the characteristically diffident B Cumberbatch. The always present and sincere Claire Foy can draw tears from a stone. The film feels period-authentic and is well-constructed. Characters evolve, thoughts change, american-style emotional schtick is mostly avoided, and the film slaloms easily but scarily from comedy to tragedy and back. Production values are impressive and moving and support the progress of the story rather than being mere indulgence. The psychedelic mandalas picturing Wains subjective fall/rise to psychosis at the end is liberating and rather reminiscent of 2001s Star Gate sequence! I recommend the film, and look forward to re-visiting Ms Foys heroic face and Olivia Colmans assuaging voice again in future!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/24/21

Full Review

Lori S

Bring Kleenex. If you love cats, you must see this film. The acting was superb.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/23/21

Full Review

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Will Sharpe

Director

Sophia Di Martino

Judith

Benedict Cumberbatch

Louis Wain

Claire Foy

Emily Richardson-Wain

Andrea Riseborough

Caroline Wain

Toby Jones

Sir William Ingram

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain: Movie Clip - Mr. Cat Man

0:59

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain: Movie Clip - First Look

1:54

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The Electrical Life of Louis Wain: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

The extraordinary true story of eccentric British artist Louis Wain (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose playful, sometimes even psychedelic pictures helped to transform the public's perception of cats forever. Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, we follow the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the "electrical" mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife Emily Richardson (Claire Foy).

Director: Will Sharpe
Producer: Adam Ackland, Ed Clarke, Leah Clarke, Guy Heeley
Screenwriter: Will Sharpe, Simon Stephenson
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: Shoebox Films, StudioCanal, Amazon Studios, Film 4, SunnyMarch
Rating: PG-13 (Strong Language|Some Thematic Material)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 22, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2021
Runtime: 1h 51m

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