My Cousin Rachel Movie Review (2017)

A brooding period drama about a man who believes his cousin’s wife committed murder, but meets and falls in love with her, My Cousin Rachel feels muted and flat.

I have mentioned this before, but not every book should be turned into a film. The mediums are very different, and while you can describe every lingering thought or look on paper, sometimes it doesn’t translate the same way in cinema. The actors and director can do everything right, but it’s just not the right material.

My Cousin Rachel is about Philip, a young man who was orphaned as a child and raised by his cousin, Ambrose. After traveling to Italy, Ambrose writes letters indicating that he has met a woman, married her, and is now sick. When Ambrose dies, Philip is convinced that the wife killed his cousin and vows to avenge him. Once he meets her, though, he begins to fall in love with her.

I have never read any of Daphne du Maurier’s books (including Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel), but I can appreciate that people love her writing. The Amazon description of this book is “A haunting tale of love and deception set in the wild landscapes of Cornwall, My Cousin Rachel grips you from the first page and leaves you questioning long after the last.” I wish that were the case with the film.

I wanted to like this movie. Starring Sam Claflin and Rachel Weisz with a talented supporting cast, My Cousin Rachel is billed as a gothic mystery full of romance. I will agree that it was gothic, with many dark corners and atmospheric shadows as well as a lovely beach and a meadow full of flowers, but that’s about where it ended for me.

I found the story incredibly boring. I could see the characters were invested, and there was a lot of visual turmoil, but I didn’t care about anyone. It was clear from the very description of the film what would happen, and the predictability stuck. I spent much of the film feeling like Philip was a fool, to the point where I began to get annoyed with him.

If there was a mystery to be found, I’m still looking. This isn’t a bad film, and if you are a fan of romance novels, where you know the story and are just there for the romance itself, this film could be intriguing. The actors are good, the sets are period, and the cinematography is lovely, but it’s just dull. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

Runtime: 106 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: PG-13

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 2/5 Stars

Available: Free on Hulu and Max, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms