Michelle Dockery Archives

Review: ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,’ starring Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Paul Giamatti, Elizabeth McGovern and Penelope Wilton

December 21, 2025

by Carla Hay

Joely Richardson, Rose Galbraith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery and Harry Hadden-Paton in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Photo courtesy of Focus Features)

Directed by Simon Curtis

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1930, in the United Kingdom, the dramatic film “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” features an all-white cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: The patriarch of the wealthy Crawley family of England must decide if he’s going to retire and if he will hand over the operations of the family’s Downton Abbey manor to his eldest child (a daughter), who is going through a society scandal because she is divorced.

Culture Audience: Aside from appealing to “Downton Abbey” fans, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of movies about 20th century upper-crust British people and their servants.

Paul Giamatti and Alessandro Nivola in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Photo courtesy of Focus Features)

“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is a drama that concludes in a fitting way and in the same polished tone that defines this franchise. Divorce and financial fraud are the biggest scandals in the story, with no real surprises. Most fans of the “Downton Abbey” franchise will be satisfied by how this movie ends, but others might feel disappointed that this “grand finale” isn’t as grand as they expected it to be.

Directed by Simon Curtis and written by Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (which takes place in 1930) is the third movie in the “Downton Abbey” franchise. Curtis also directed and Fellowes also wrote the 2022 movie “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” whose story took place in 1928. The first movie in the franchise is 2019’s “Downton Abbey” (directed by Michael Engler and written by Fellowes), a continuation of the British “Downton Abbey” TV series, which was on the air from 2010 to 2015. (In the United States, the award-winning “Downton Abbey” series began airing in 2011.)

Unlike the comedic and somewhat complex story in “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” the story in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is streamlined and gets a little more serious, although there are still touches of comedy. The main focus of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is who will take over the Downton Abbey manor when the eldest living heir is a woman who has become an outsider in certain social circles because she is divorced.

The “Downton Abbey” franchise, just like much of Fellowes’ work, explores the “upstairs/downstairs” cultures, with the “upstairs” people being the wealthy employers and the “downstairs” people being the employers’ servants. “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” has much more emphasis on the “upstairs” people, compared to the previous “Downton Abbey” movies.

People who watch “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” are better off having seen the previous two movies to fully understand the characters and some previous plot developments. People who’ve watched or know what happened in all of the previous “Downton Abbey” movies, as well as the “Downton Abbey” TV series, will obviously be the most prepared for “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.” Because there are so many characters in the “Downton Abbey” franchise, here’s a handy guide of who’s who in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” and how their relationships affect each other:

The “Upstairs” People

Robert Crawley (played by Hugh Bonneville), 7th Earl of Grantham, is the leader of Downton Abbey when the movie begins. He is generally friendly but also very opinionated on how family matters should be handled. As shown at the end of “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” Robert inherited Downton Abbey after the death of his strong-willed mother Violet (played by Maggie Smith), who was the family matriarch. Robert is Violet’s only living son. (In real life, Smith passed away in 2024.)
Cora Crawley (played by Elizabeth McGovern), the Countess of Grantham. She is Robert’s kind, patient and dutiful wife. Robert and Cora are the parents of three daughters, one of whom is deceased.
Lady Mary Josephine Talbot (played by Michelle Dockery), previously known as Mary Crawley. Fair-minded and even-tempered, she is the eldest of Robert and Cora’s three daughters. In the “Downton Abbey” movie, Violet put Mary in charge of all Downton Abbey management decisions, but Mary struggles with having confidence in deciding what is best for Downton Abbey and the family. Mary experienced tragedy with the 1921 death of her first husband Matthew Crawley (played by Dan Stevens), who was a distant cousin. Matthew died in a car accident shortly after Mary gave birth to their son George Crawley (played by twins Oliver Barker and Zac Barker), born in 1921. In 1925, Mary wed her second husband Henry Talbot (played by Matthew Goode), who is seen only in brief flashback footage in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.” Henry is dashing and charming but often inattentive to his family because he frequently travels to attend car racing matches around the world. His absence is one of the main reasons why Mary and Henry secretly got divorced. Mary and Henry have a daughter together named Caroline Talbot (played by Esme Creegan), who was born in 1926.
Lady Edith Pelham (played by Laura Carmichael), previously known as Edith Crawley, Marchioness of Hexham. She is the middle daughter of Robert and Cora. Edith is happily married and has been mainly preoccupied with raising children, after previous issues with conceiving. She is a journalist who still wants to continue her dream of owning and managing her own magazine. In late 1922 or early 1923, Edith gave birth to her daughter Marigold (played by twins Eva Samms and Karina Samms), whose biological father was The Sketch magazine editor Michael Gregson (played by Charles Edwards), whom Edith met when she wrote for the magazine. Edith and Michael were never married because he could not divorce his mentally ill wife. Michael died in 1923, during the Beer Hall Putch in Germany.
Herbert “Bertie” Pelham (played by Harry Hadden-Paton), 7th Marquess of Hexham, an amiable real-estate agent/military man. He is Edith’s second husband and the stepfather of Marigold. Bertie and Edith, who were wed on New Year’s Eve 1925, have a biological son together named Peter, who was born in 1927 or 1928.
Tom Branson (played by Allen Leech), an Irishman who used to be the Downton Abbey chauffeur, but he became part of the family when he married Sybil Crawley (played by Jessica Brown Findlay), Robert and Cora’s youngest daughter, who died from childbirth complications in 1920. Tom and Sybil’s daughter, born in 1920, is named Sybil “Sybbie” Branson (played by Fifi Hart). In “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” Tom married his second wife Lucy Branson (played by Tuppence Middleton), a former maid and formerly secret illegitimate daughter of Maud Bagshaw, who is a wealthy distant relative of the Crawleys. Maud has made Lucy the heir to Maud’s entire fortune. Lucy is not in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.”
Isobel Merton (played by Penelope Wilton), the droll-talking mother of the late Matthew Crawley. Isobel frequently traded sardonic barbs with Violet.
Lord Merton (played by Douglas Reith), Isobel’s laid-back second husband. He is usually a bystander in the family drama.

The “Downstairs” People

Daisy Parker (played by Sophie McShera), a Downton Abbey kitchen maid. She has a fun-loving and energetic personality. Daisy suffered a tragedy when her first husband William Mason (played by Thomas Howes), a second footman for the Downton Abbey family, died from World War I combat wounds.
Andy Parker (played by Michael Fox), the Downton Abbey second footman. Daisy and Andy fell in love and got married circa 1928. Andy is prone to get jealous and insecure, but Daisy likes that Andy is willing to go to extremes for their love.
Mr. Carson (played by Jim Carter), the on-again/off-again Downton Abbey butler. As the most experienced butler at Downton, he often sees himself as the unofficial leader of the staff, whether they want his advice or not. Mr. Carson retires in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.”
Mrs. Hughes (played by Phyllis Logan), the Downton Abbey head housekeeper, who is prim, proper, and frequently involved in keeping secrets to prevent Downton Abbey from being embroiled in scandals.
Mrs. Patmore (played by Lesley Nicol), the Downton Abbey chief cook. She has a no-nonsense attitude that keeps the other kitchen staff in check.
Mr. Bates (played by Brendan Coyle), the Downton Abbey valet. His arrogance sometimes alienates other members of the staff.
Anna Bates (played by Joanne Froggatt), wife of Mr. Bates and the maid to Lady Mary. She is generally well-liked but sometimes gets caught up in the Downton Abbey gossip.
Phyllis Baxter (played by Raquel Cassidy), the lady’s maid for the Countess of Grantham. Phyllis and Mr. Molesley become each other’s love interest. “Downton Abbey: The Next Era” shows how far this romance goes.

The Friends and Newcomers

Harold Levinson (played by Paul Giamatti), Cora’s neurotic brother who has been living in the United States. Harold is entrusted with managing much of the Crawley family’s investment portfolio.
Gus Sambrook (played by Alessandro Nivola), Harold’s business advisor, who is a smooth-talking American and a ladies’ man.
Guy Dexter (played by Dominic West), the male titular star of “The Gambler,” the dramatic movie that was partially filmed at Downton Abbey in “Downton Abbey: A New Era.” Guy is charismatic, flirtatious, and a closeted gay man.
Thomas Barrow (played by Robert James-Collier), a former Downton Abbey butler, who started a secret romance with Guy after they met at Downton Abbey. Thomas quit working for Downton Abbey to become Guy’s personal assistant. In the beginning of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” Thomas and Guy are a couple whose relationship is common knowledge to people who are close to the them but it isn’t openly discussed.
Noël Coward (played by Arty Froushan), the famed playwright/composer, who is a close friend of Guy. Just like Guy and Thomas, Noël is a gay man who is closeted to most people, but people who know him best know the truth.
Joseph Molesley (played by Kevin Doyle), a former Downton Abbey valet who has a tendency to bumble and be socially awkward. He quit Downton Abbey to become a screenwriter but hasn’t been having much luck in his new career.
Lady Petersfield (played by Joely Richardson), a snobbish aristocrat who pushes for Mary to be ousted and shunned from society events because Mary is divorced.
Lady Gwendolen (played by Rose Galbraith), one of Lady Petersfield’s close friends.

In the beginning of “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” Robert and his daughter Mary have a series of conflicts and disagreements. It starts when Robert gets upset when he finds out that Mary’s divorce became final and she didn’t tell anyone else in the family. Robert had to find out after Mary is asked to leave a high society party because of her divorce, and her divorce makes front-page headlines of a local newspaper.

The Crawley family’s financial problems are ongoing. It’s one of the reasons why they reluctantly agreed to rent out their mansion to a filmmaking crew in “Downton Abbey: A New Era.” Selling the Downton Abbey property is out of the question. However, Mary suggests to Robert that they sell Grantham House, the Crawley family’s London residence. Robert vehemently objects to this idea.

Meanwhile, Harold and Gus come to visit to convince the family to invest in something that Harold assures the family will “double” their investment. Gus and Mary have an instant attraction to each other. Gus is also intrigued by Mary’s divorce scandal, which makes her more attractive to him. You can easily guess what happens between Gus and Mary.

Guy, Thomas and Noël visit the Crawleys for an elegant dinner. And when the word gets out that Noël is spending time with the Crawleys, suddenly all the snobs who wanted to shame and reject Mary have a change in attitude and want to befriend her again. Former Downton Abbey valet Joseph also gets swept up in wanting to get close to celebrity Noël. Richard goes as far as asking to be re-hired at Downton Abbey so he can meet Noël.

“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” doesn’t go much deeper than the “rich people problems” story that is bulk of the movie’s plot. A major reason for much of the Crawleys’ financial woes is revealed. And when that revelation happens, it comes as no surprise because the movie makes it so obvious who might be committing fraud.

All of the returning cast members do what they’ve usually done in these roles, with only Dockery’s Mary going through a real emotional ringer. Giamatti and Nivola are what you might expect in their roles as Americans whose lives revolve around “get rich quick” schemes. Froushan is an utter delight as Noël, a scene-stealing bon vivant character, who unfortunately in not in the movie as he could have been.

The main reason why “Downton Abbey” fans and other viewers will watch is to see how the Crawley family friction will be resolved in who will really take over Downton Abbey, as Robert is headed for retirement. Robert stepping down from his leadership position means that he and Cora plan to relocate to a smaller home but will no longer have the burden of worrying about the upkeep of Downton Abey. It’s a bittersweet decision that will not shock anyone, but the send-off a fulfilling conclusion to this era in the “Downtown Abbey” saga.

Focus Features released “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” in U.S. cinemas on September 12, 2025. The movie was released on digital and VOD on September 30, 2025. Peacock premiered “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” on November 7, 2025. The movie was released on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD November 11, 2025.

Review: ‘Boy Kills World,’ starring Bill Skarsgård

April 21, 2024

by Carla Hay

“Boy Kills World”

Directed by Moritz Mohr

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed dystopian society, the action film “Boy Kills World” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some black people and Asian) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A deaf and mute man, who was raised as an orphan and trained to be a warrior by a shaman, goes on a revenge mission against the tyrannical dictator whom he blames for killing his family.

Culture Audience: “Boy Kills World” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of videogame-styled action movies that have some offbeat comedy and don’t take themselves too seriously.

Famke Janssen in “Boy Kills World” (Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions)

“Boy Kills World” is a cartoonishly violent revenge flick with touches of psychedelia and self-deprecating comedy in a dystopian society. The story drags with repetition in the middle of the movie, but a plot twist makes up for this occasional banality. This plot twist is not as predictable as another plot twist that happens around the same time.

Directed by Moritz Mohr, “Boy Kills World” was written by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers. “Boy Kills World” had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. The movie is based on director Mohr’s unreleased short film “Boy Kills World,” which has a similar concept.

In the feature-length “Boy Kills World,” which takes place in an unnamed dystopian society, a young man whose name is listed in the credits Boy (played by Bill Skarsgård) goes on a revenge mission against a tyrannical dictator named Beatrice Van Der Koy (played by Famke Janssen), whom he blames for murdering his mother (played by Rolanda Marais), his father (played by Ashley Dowds) and Boy’s younger sister Mina (played by Quinn Copeland) when Boy was about 13 or 14 years old and when Mina was about 9 or 10 years old. The teenage Boy is played by twins Cameron Crovetti and Nicholas Crovetti. Beatrice is the leader of the Van Der Koy family, who have several members who also abuse their positions of power to intimidate and kill people.

Every year, this bleak society has a mass murder event called the Culling, where Beatrice orders the military to go after enemies and kill innocent people on live TV. Boy’s family got caught in the Culling crossfire. Flashbacks show that he witnessed his mother’s murder. Boy was able to escape but became deaf and mute from the attack. He was rescued and taken to a remote wooded area by a mystic whose name is listed in the credits as Shaman (played by Yayan Ruhian), who raised him in isolation and trained Boy to become a warrior skilled in martial arts.

Boy does not talk out loud in the movie, so his inner thoughts are heard with the voice that he says was the voice of his favorite video game character. (H. Jon Benjamin does Boy’s voice in the movie.) Talent Digital Art has a free-to-play 2.5D fighting video game titled “Super Dragon Punch Force 3,” which is described in a press release as a “real world sequel inspired by the fictitious 2D fighting game franchise” depicted in “Boy Kills World.”) Even in the flashback scenes where Boy is literally a boy, his voiceover is that of an adult man.

Boy’s inner thoughts show that he can be self-deprecating and frequently sarcastic. Boy says of the city that he left behind when he was rescued by Shaman: “This was never a great city. Hilda Vander Koy took it from us. She has a list of all of her enemies. If you’re on it, she’ll find you.” Boy adds, “Hilda took everything from me. And when I become the ultimate warrior, I’ll return the favor.”

Several scenes in “Boy Kills World” show that part of Shaman’s training includes blowing smoke from a hallucinogenic substance into Boy’s face. As a result, Boy often has psychedelic hallucinations. Boy says early on in the movie that there’s a state of being between reality and dreams. The visual effects for the psychedelia are among the more memorable aspects about this sensory overload film.

Boy frequently has visions of Mina appearing to him and talking to him and looking the same way since the last time he saw her. Boy and Mina had a very close and fun-loving relationship before their lives were torn apart. Even in his life as a vengeful warrior, Boy still gets teased and playful scolding from Mina, whom he sees as the only person in his life who truly made him happy.

During his vendetta quest, Boy encounters other members of the Van Der Koy family, including Hilda’s ruthless sister Melanie Van Der Koy (played by Michelle Dockery); Hilda’s arrogant brother Gideon Van Der Koy (played by Brett Gelman); and Melanie’s buffoonish husband Glen Van Der Koy (played Sharlto Copley), who is dominated by Melanie. (It says a lot that Glen took the Van Der Koy surname.)

The Van Der Koy family has a security chief named June27 (played by Jessica Rothe), and programmed assassin who wears a helmet and who might or might not be human. She has almost superhuman-like strength and becomes a formidable and elusive opponent to Boy. Meanwhile, Boy forms an alliance with two rebels: wisecracking Basho (played by Andrew Koji) and resourceful Bennie (played by Isaiah Mustafa), who both join in on the mayhem. Boy encounters many dangerous foes, leading to several brutal and bloody battles.

Skarsgård is quite skillful in combining the action and facial expressions required for this character who is supposed to be deaf and mute. Melanie the villain who is the most fun to watch in the movie, thanks to Dockery’s prickly performance. Janssen’s Hilda is a fairly generic and predictable villain, while Gideon and his bad jokes quickly become annoying.

“Boy Kills World” is by no means an intellectual movie, but some of the quips are amusing enough to keep most viewers entertained. One of the movie’s plot twists is very predictable, while other plot twists are not as easy to predict. The movie’s most surprising “reveal” has some imagination, which saves “Boy Kills World” from being just another violent action flick that’s a checklist of death and destruction.

Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate will release “Boy Kills World” in U.S. cinemas on April 26, 2024. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on May 28, 2024.

Review: ‘The Gentlemen,’ starring Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, Henry Golding and Jeremy Strong

January 20, 2020

by Carla Hay

“The Gentlemen”

Directed by Guy Ritchie

Culture Representation: Set in London, this group of predominantly white male characters (with a few Asians and black people), who are from the middle and upper classes, live on the edges of the law and are primarily motivated by greed and revenge.

Culture Clash: The characters in the “The Gentleman” constantly try to one-up and outsmart each other in their betrayals.

Culture Audience: “The Gentlemen” will appeal mostly to people who like movies about groups of criminals who mix dirty deals with aspirations to belong in the upper echelons of society.

Colin Farrell and Charlie Hunnam in “The Gentleman” (Photo by Christopher Raphael)

In case people might think British filmmaker Guy Ritchie was turning soft because he directed Disney’s 2019 live-action remake of “Aladdin,” he wants to remind everyone that he’s still capable of making the down’n’dirty British crime capers that made him a hot director, starting with his feature-film debut, 1998’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.” (And then his ill-fated 10-year marriage to Madonna brought him another kind of fame: tabloid hell.)

With “The Gentlemen,” Ritchie returns to the theme that he seems to like best when he writes and directs a film—men behaving very badly. And who needs to have legal consequences? Ritchie makes it clear in his movies about drug dealers or gangsters that the harsh realities of police busts and courtroom appearances are pesky distractions that shouldn’t really get in the way of the story he really wants to tell, which is from the lawbreakers’ perspectives.

The movie’s title is quite cheeky, since the shady and sleazy characters in “The Gentlemen” act like anything but gentlemen. All of them are violent, and some of the Anglo characters spout racist and anti-Semitic remarks. There’s some content in this movie that’s truly twisted, including a bestiality scene that’s in the movie for laughs. The deviant act is not shown on screen, but what happened and who was involved are made very clear to viewers.

“The Gentlemen” has an all-star cast, but the movie really comes down to the sparring between two of the characters who want to be the alpha male who’ll outsmart them all. The two opponents are Michael “Mickey” Pearson (played by Matthew McConaughey) and Fletcher (played by Hugh Grant), who see themselves as brilliant manipulators who like to play people off each other like pawns in a chess game.

Mickey is an American who’s been a marijuana dealer in the United Kingdom, ever since he was a Rhodes Scholar student at Oxford University. He’s built up his business by renting out large estates worth millions and using the land to build underground areas for growing marijuana. His operation (which spans the entire nation) has grown to the point where he’s ready to sell it, now that marijuana might become legal in the United Kingdom.

Fletcher is a private investigator and aspiring screenwriter, who wants to tell Mickey’s story (and dirty secrets) in a movie screenplay that he’s writing. Fletcher describes the screenplay in vivid detail (which viewers see acted on screen) when he has a tense confrontation with Mickey’s right-hand man, Ray (played by Charlie Hunnam). It’s a story-within-a-story conceit that works well in some areas of the movie, but gets too convoluted and messy in other areas. Fletcher tells Ray that the salacious details of the screenplay is Fletcher’s way of extorting £20 million from Mickey if he wants to keep Fletcher from spilling those secrets. Fletcher has found himself in Mickey’s orbit in the first place because Fletcher has been hired by a tabloid editor named Big Dave (payed by Eddie Marsan), who has a grudge against Mickey and wants Fletcher to dig up dirt on Mickey.

Viewers should know before seeing this movie that the hyper-absurd situations in the story basically serve to poke fun at the characters, who mostly think they’re smarter than everyone else in their world. And make no mistake: This is definitely a man’s world, since Michelle Dockery (who plays Mickey’s Cockney-accented loyal wife, Rosalind, nicknamed Roz) is the only woman with a significant speaking role in the movie—and her screen time in the film is less than 20 minutes. Fletcher describes Roz as the “Cockney Cleopatra to Mickey’s Cowboy Caesar.” It’s a fairly accurate description, since Roz’s scenes basically revolve around her sexuality, and Mickey’s scenes revolve around him asserting his power.

Mickey’s asking price for his marijuana operation is at least £400 million, and he finds a potential buyer in billionaire Matthew Berger (played by Jeremy Strong), another successful, upper-echelon drug dealer who’s been a longtime rival of Mickey’s. And there are some other sordid characters who are entangled in this spider web of a story. One of them is Dry Eye (played by Henry Golding), a gangster/wannabe mob boss who answers to his real mob boss, Lord George (played by Tom Wu). Their gang is also at odds with Mickey.

Then there’s deadpan henchman Coach (played by Colin Farrell), who’s somewhat of a mentor to a group of young thugs who like to video record their mischief-making and crimes while in disguise, take the footage, make them into rap videos, and post the videos on social media. The young hoodlums make the mistake of breaking into one of Mickey’s marijuana bunkers and stealing some of what’s stashed there, so Coach offers to make amends by doing favors for Mickey.

All of the stars of “The Gentlemen” do a very competent job with an often-verbose script, which requires a massive suspension of disbelief in the fight scenes—especially in an assault-weapon shootout aimed at a vehicle, where someone very unrealistically walks away unscathed. Grant’s Fletcher character has the best lines, and he’s the one who’s the least predictable. But many of the other characters (such as Ray, Dry Eye and Big Eddie) are very two-dimensional, and a few humorous one-liners don’t quite fill the voids in their personalities.

Put another way: Ritchie is no Martin Scorsese when it comes to gangster films. “The Gentlemen” tries to be a little too clever for its own good, but if you’re curious to see Ritchie’s take on a backstabbing criminal subculture, then “The Gentlemen” might be your stinging cup of tea.

STX will release “The Gentlemen” in U.S. cinemas on January 24, 2020. The movie was released in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2020.