Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (2011)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

As I saw 'Magic Beyond Words' advertised as the story of J. K. Rowling's life before Hogwarts; I was disappointed to see the majority of the film depicting the publication and subsequent impact of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. All of the film pre-Potter was hurried passed at a clumsy pace and trips over itself to get to the "riches" part of her story.Aside from that, most of the film was decent, very well acted - for the most part - and became very touching in places, about as much as you'd expect from an average made-for-TV biopic. I give it an overall 5/10 for full presentation.

Reviews can be considered an interesting exercise for the ego. After all, what are we criticising? The film, or our reaction to it? How is it possible to be objective? Honesty first: I attempted to read, The Philosopher's Stone when it was released, but gave up after fifty pages. This is not to say it was poorly written, just that, at the time, I was not eleven. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the films and the story arc. Admiration and respect has to be given to anybody who has written seven novels. Much has been written about how she plagiarized, or a more pleasant word might be, poached, elements from other writers, but I am not concerned by these irrelevant rumours. What is important is she has brought happiness to millions, if not billions, of people. How many critics can die with that achievement on their lips? I'm also not concerned about the accuracy of this film. As far as I understand it, the major elements are there; the rise of a desperately poor mother (with circumstances whom most of us can sympathise) with a dream, to unparalleled success. Is that not enough? Is that not the quiddity of what this film is about? Therefore, you can tell that I enjoyed the snapshot of this woman's life. It was competently made and acted. Nothing jarred. However, what was important, was that it moved me. And at the end, to joyful tears. Isn't that the highest recommendation? Only one point deducted for not taking her story up to the present.

OK viewing for a damp winters day when there is nothing else on the box and your DVD player is on the blink. Research is laughable (if it was done at all) Knowing Tutshill, having attended Wyedean and having worked in Edinburgh, this film shows the typical sickly sweet idealistic old fashioned chocolate box view of "little old England" (but at least they recognised that Edinburgh is in Scotland). Maybe I'm being picky, but when making a biopic (authorised or otherwise) surely they should have a far better idea of the locations? It is 8-10 miles from Tutshill to the outer edges of the forest for a start. the uniforms for Wyedean are completely the wrong colours and the badge is a figment of the film makers imagination. All it would have taken was a quick search on Google ...... and don't even get me started on the buildings!!As has already been noted by another reviewer, the linguistic differences between us and our North American cousins are very apparent (although I do note that the lead is played by an Australian) the accents throughout are either the typically clipped accents favoured by North American movie makers and the Scottish accents are woefully inaccurate. The language used is about as inaccurate as you can get whilst still speaking English one example being assistance (benefits) i'm surprised they didn't talk about grade school, high school etc.

This made for television feature caught and held the attention one New Year afternoon for all the wrong reasons. A dramatisation of how Joanne Rowling discovered the idea for Harry Potter then became JK and rose to international fame is filmed like a particularly cheap perfume ad. The director's apparent obsession with flashes of cleavage aside - at times you think you are watching the feature through dirty-old-man-on-tube Cam - the main actor has been cast for her resemblance to Rowling and little else. The director again seems to be at fault for not allowing his star to re-dub her lines but this is perhaps a trait of this rushed-to-shop production. The whole early section, juggling a parental death with Rowling's teaching experience in Portugal, affair with a Latin lover and subsequent pregnancy, makes the Mediterranean hi jinx of 'Mamma Mia' look like Chekov. When Rowling returns to the UK with her daughter the real comedy ensues as the script hangs around the rumours and misdirection Rowling fed press junkets regarding her formative time writing Potter while placing the action in an Edinburgh that makes Diagon Alley look grittily realistic. Canadianisms pervade the whole telling of this section. A single mother doesn't receive "assistance" in Scotland as the film insists, but 'benefits". Rowling's experience as a teacher in Leith Academy is grimly unresearched, with what looks like a Kindergarten in Hobbiton being her workplace. What in real Edinburgh is called "interval" or 'playtime' is erroneously referred to as "recess' by the Mcgonagle-like Headmistress.Even by TV movie standards this is cynical stuff. The creative process is explored in clichéd montage, at once displaying Rowling as a lucky, remotely eloquent Bimbo - her child and relationship with her is laughably never believable - while never exploring the fact that Rowling lightly thieved from Dahl, Tolkein, Rattigan and Lewis in her development of the bespectacled Potter.There are some that may say this insanely chocolate-box representation of Rowling's life and Britain is all she deserves for a biopic. Her vision of Hogwarts and intrinsic social classes in her novels is adolescent in its reflection of UK life and also posits an ideal school system that is rare in the UK and patrician and exclusive where it does exist.That aside, this is camp Lambrini party viewing, provoking unintended laughs and hilarity, especially if you live in the UK. Watchable in that vein!