Smith died in 2024. But the film is dedicated to her in more ways than one.
Besides Violet, almost everyone is back, and we have a few new (or newly returning) characters as well. Paul Giamatti is, happily, back from the TV show as Harold, the brother of Cora (Elizabeth McGovern, always a warm presence as Robert’s American wife).
Harold arrives from America with some unfortunate news — he’s wasted away much of their family fortune. Accompanying him is friend Gus, a handsome and clever type — or so it seems — who has been advising Harold on his finances. Gus (Alessandro Nivola) worms his way into Mary’s good graces, and more — but he may not be nearly as clever as he first appears.
Then there’s Simon Russell Beale as the pompous Hector, who tries to hold onto local tradition but runs up against Isobel (Penelope Wilton), and a charming Arty Froushan as Noel Coward himself. The playwright is the closest thing in Downton world to a modern celebrity — everyone wants to be with him, no matter station nor gender, and he winds up helping Mary overcome her social shunning.
Nowhere to be seen is dashing Hugh Dancy, who played a film director (besotted with Mary) in the last movie. But the character that director anointed as a screenwriter, Joseph Molesley (Kevin Doyle), is back, and Fellowes must have enjoyed writing this line for him: “In many ways the writers are the stars of cinema.”
To be honest, the script veers from clever to extremely sappy, or to filler lines like “I think I’ll go get another cup.” But kudos for moment a befuddled Robert describes the newfound phenomenon of an apartment building as “a layer cake of strangers.”
“Sometimes I feel that the past is a more comfortable place than the future,” someone says in a poignant moment. But this final movie will give loyal Downton fans what they want: a satisfying bit of closure and the sense that the future, though a bit scary, may look kindly on Downton Abbey as long as Mary is in charge. And as long as Smith’s Violet, imposing in a front-hall portrait, is looking down from above.
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” a Focus Features release, has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association “ for suggestive material, smoking and some thematic elements.“ Running time: 123 minutes. Two and half stars out of four.
