The Duke (2020)

In 1961, pensioner Kempton Bunton (portrayed here by Jim Broadbent) stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from London’s National Gallery as part of his campaign to provide television licences for those struggling to afford them. Broadbent is a good choice as Bunton and Helen Mirren provides the perfectly sensible foil as his wife. There’s a category of film that I tend to think of as cozy British flicks and this one falls firmly into that category: working class characters who live perfectly average lives except for one quirk which sets them apart and provides the impetus for the story. It’s a comfy way to waste away an afternoon, watching something that’s not too complex or offensive but still entertaining.