Lady of the Manor is a charming premise. Written and directed by the sibling team of Justin and Christian Long, the story follows a man in the south that has been in the same family since the Civil War. It is run by the family and Tanner (Ryan Phillippe) has been put in charge of staffing the facility for the steady flow of tourists that come through looking for information on a tour led by a guide dressed as the titular character.
When he hires Melanie Lynskey’s Hannah, he gets a stoner/slacker whose effort on the job lacks gusto or even interest. But the playboy isn’t thinking with his brain when he hires her and believes as well that she could ruin the manor as a tourist destination, and he can sell off the house and live largely.
Taking issue with Hannah in a big way is Judy Greer’s Lady Wadsworth. She is the Lady of the Manor, and her 1800s demeanor finds the manner with which Hannah leads her life not only that of a lady but inhuman. Meanwhile, Justin Long’s PhD. Historian Max finds issues with Hannah’s inaccurate tours, but there is something about her that is compelling to Max. Not only does he take an interest in her but tries to help her when it comes to the facts about the Manor and specifically the woman who oversaw it and made it her legacy, Lady Wadsworth.
Slowly over the course of the Long brothers’ film, each character predictably influences others in a manner that everyone may be better for it when those closing credits roll. Lady of the Manor utilizes tropes in comedies and even ghost stories that we have seen before. It is humorous on occasion and possesses a certain charm. The issue is that there is not much there to grab on to and resonate.
Lynskey is a hilarious actress who is waiting for the right project to turn her into a Lucile Ball-type physical comedienne that can command the audiences’ funny bones, but also their hearts. Sadly, that isn’t accomplished in Lady of the Manner, but it does show that her comic timing is sharp, she plays well with a rich ensemble and can embody a less than perfect character that is happy with who they are and even blindly pleased with where they are in life. Long sees something in her that she doesn’t in herself and over the course of the film a myriad of elements occur, but it is the connection between Max and Hannah is the selling point of this Manner.
Long is an interesting cinematic presence. After a string of playing the “friends” or “associates” of the main characters and then a spat as a leading man, he has settled into a niche of portraying supporting characters who are integral to the plot. He does that in this film and despite having screenplay and directing duties, he pulls it off… again. There is something innately approachable about the actor that has only increased with time.
Greer, on the other hand, is one of The Movie Mensch’s favorites. But her turn as Lady Wadsworth has an accent that seems to swing from colonial English to Southern belle. Her character is not developed as it should be, after all, the movie is named after her.
Not only that but the entire future of everyone involved centers on this ghost that is meant to surprise, occasionally humorously spook, while shooting disdain missiles from her eyes at Hannah. Greer decently handles what is thrown at her, despite the alteration in accent and plot she is given that borderline on too silly to accept without taking seriously.
Grade: B-