Genre: Biography

Director: Paul A. Kaufman

Writers: Jeffrey Berman and Tony Caballero, based on a book by Sean Smith

Cast: Poppy Montgomery, Emily Holmes, Antonio Cupo

Summary: An inspiring look at J.K. Rowling’s rise to become one of the most influential writers ever (with more than 400 million copies of her visionary books sold across the globe resulting in a billion-dollar film franchise), MAGIC BEYOND WORDS follows her humble beginnings as an imaginative young girl and awkward teenager through the devastating loss of her mother and the genesis of the Harry Potter phenomenon in her early twenties. The drama also follows Rowling’s tumultuous first marriage, becoming a mother, her divorce, and the dark days of living on government assistance while publisher after publisher passed on her first novel…before it became an international best-seller and solidified Rowling’s rightful place in literary and cultural history.

This was a lovely little thing. The movie is based on the book J.K. Rowling – A Biography by Sean Smith, who reportedly spoke with many of Rowling’s friends and neighbors in researching his book, though it is an “unauthorized” biography. It was fun watching the little girl who loved stories grow into the girl with glasses who was behind everyone else, to the leather jacketed girl who was smarter than most, to a drifting young adult. Seeing her setbacks, and how she came to be a single mother on assistance but persevere, was not a completely unfamiliar story but there was enough new information (or embellishment, not sure, but it’s ok as no one is portrayed unfairly as a monster) to hold interest. Where it came alive, though, was whenever she wrote, and the triumphs that came over time.

There are even a few magical bits when her imaginings are shown to us, like when the assistance clerk turns into a goblin at Gringotts, or a coffeehouse chess set comes alive. But the real fun, the one laugh-out-loud moment, and the several times that I got all misty all had to do with every step of success with Harry, which was the final third or so of the movie. Admittedly I’m the kind who gets misty with certain commercials, but I didn’t resent those moments in this piece because they felt deserved, not manipulated. I said “misty,” not “sobbing.” And I adore the books, so of course I felt I had a vested interest in her story and her success.

It is an absolute treat to watch Poppy Montgomery NOT do an American accent. She did a fairly good one during the first couple of seasons of Without a Trace but seems to have lost the knack since then. Here she portrays Rowling as strong (but not overly so) but sweet (but not overly so), the kind of person you feel you could be friends with and whose success you would not resent. The rest of the cast are likewise likeable but don’t overshadow Our Joanne. The script is not overly or unnecessarily dramatic or sensational, and while not exactly gritty, didn’t veer too far into the realm of sap too often, even though it was an Original Lifetime Movie.

If you love the Harry Potter books you’ll enjoy this biopic. Just as with the books, you can be almost any age to enjoy this movie; other than a glimpse into the abuse that ended her first marriage, there is nothing objectionable even for most kids 10 and up, and is in fact chock full of the inspirational lessons of 1) following your dream by 2) working hard. It was a lovely way to spend 90 minutes on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

I give Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story Four Out of Five Stars.

 

 

Pick up your copy of Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story using the link below!
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