In 1660, Charles II was restored to the throne of England, and Cromwell's Puritan rule came to an end.
With his restoration came a new age -- an age of luxury, an age of scientific liberation, an age of light. The Royal Court was a place of great extravagance and beauty.
But in this new age there also existed a dark world. To most of England, it was the time of the plague, of the Great Fire and of medieval superstitions and practices that rivaled science.
"Restoration" is the story of one man's journey through these two different worlds in the same age and his ending up somewhere in between.
The film is beautifully shot, highly detailed and full of lavish costumes and a whole lot of hair. But in the film's attempt to capture the dual nature of the age, it unfortunately plays more like two films than one whole one.
Robert Merivel (Robert Downey Jr.) is a young Englishman whose life of debauchery at night is interrupted during the day by his medical practice. While he works and studies at a dreary London hospital, he is far more concerned with drinking and dames than helping the sick and needy.
Although he does not apply himself to his field, Merivel does have a knack for healing. Unfortunately, he cannot come to grips with his dark environment and the death that surrounds him.
Soon he is plucked from his surroundings when Charles' (Sam Neill) most beloved dog Lulu becomes ill. Merivel is given an offer he can't refuse -- if he is able to heal the dog, he will earn a place at the court.
After he successfully treats the dog, his life undergoes dramatic changes, and he is appointed caretaker of the Royal dogs.
But Merivel spends most of his time pursuing his passions of drinking and womanizing, much to the dismay of his Puritan best friend, Pearce (David Thewlis). Life is good for Merivel as he is very popular among the king and court.
But eventually, the king again asks for a favor. In return for knighthood and an estate, Merivel must marry the king's favorite mistress (Polly Walker).
The marriage is one of convenience -- the king's convenience. To add injury to the situation, Charles strictly forbids Merivel to be intimate with his bride.
But of course, Merivel falls in love with the woman he can not have. When he tries to win her from under the king's nose, his unwanted advances are reported to the king by a sniveling portrait artist (Hugh Grant).
Charles takes everything away from Merivel, who is forced to live with Pearce (at a hospital in the country for the insane.) It is here that he regains his passion for healing.
At the hospital, he meets a woman named Katherine, who is thought to be mad (Meg Ryan). Merivel manages to bring her and many other patients back from their despair.
But after Merivel gets Katherine pregnant, his stay becomes less welcome by his Puritan colleagues, and Merivel and Katherine move to London and have their child. Merivel begins to work in the city slums and help the victims of the plague.
It is during this later stay in London that another "restoration" occurs. The film's title does not only refer to its age, but also to its main character, as Merivel too is restored -- he goes from court fool to the doctor he was meant to be.
The film is well-made and extremely detailed in its depiction of the period. All the performances are strong, especially Downey's.
The whole film centers upon him and his contact with the different people of these two worlds. He does well capturing Merivel's initial frivolity and his later maturity.
But the whole film hinges on its ability to capture both aspects of the age -- the one of decadence and one of despair. This attempt does not come off smoothly as the two parts do not mesh well.
In the end, it seems as if the audience is watching two different movies. The first half of the film is an amusing satire of the extravagances of royalty.
The second is almost a coming-of-age film about a man struggling to reach his true calling, which is to help those trapped in a disease-plagued world.
Part of this flaw stems from the fact that the audience never gets the impression Merivel loves medicine. He seems to do it because that is what he is good at, but he never really conveys any passion for it.
The film, as many costume dramas do, drags on at time. The story line, especially Downey and Ryan's relationship, can be quite predictable at times, and this takes away from the film's working on a broader scale.
It does not really capture the emotional appeal it seeks through Merivel's restoration.
"Restoration" is a good film that is entertaining at times, but in its attempt to stay true to the Age of Restoration and show the dichotomy of both worlds, it fails to achieve the continuity needed to make the film work well.
