Change comes slowly to the Downton Abbey universe and its Crawley family. Just watch Robert Crawley go flat-hunting in London.
Wait, what? FLAT-HUNTING? The Earl of Grantham? Well, yes, and it’s the most amusing scene in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (a self-announcing title if there ever was one).
Just look at proud and starched Robert (Hugh Bonneville), trying to be open-minded but utterly flummoxed by this “flat” in which you cannot go “up” to bed because there is no “up.” Well, you can go “along” to bed, suggests daughter Mary (Michelle Dockery, as always the sensible center of things) trying to make it all sound manageable.
But the prospect of flat-living — rather than maintaining a mansion in London — is a thing the Crawleys must consider as they move into the 1930s, with financial and social instability always around the corner. “Families like us need to keep moving to survive,” says Mary, with the weight of Downton Abbey’s future itself resting on her shoulders.
A note to those coming in cold to the franchise here: Well, it’s going to be quite hard. Writer Julian Fellowes and director Simon Curtis do not engage in hand-holding when it comes to mastering the Crawley family tree or the broader family of servants that Downton fans know and love. Even those who saw the first two films – the last in 2022 – might feel the need for a refresher.
We begin in London’s West End, at a show by Noel Coward, attended by Downton inhabitants from all levels. They’re all there to watch dashing actor Guy Dexter (Dominic West), who in the last movie asked former butler Thomas Barrow to become his dresser, and more. It’s nice to see Barrow is happy now, able to live life as a gay man — even if Robert can’t quite grasp their relationship (change is slow, remember).
Meanwhile Mary is shopping in London with sister Edith, and the importance of this scene is perhaps to remind us that the real star of the “Downton” universe, after that stupendous house of course, are the costumes. Mary finds a sleek red satin gown that is quite possibly the most smashing outfit we’ve seen yet.
But when she puts it on for a society ball, trouble erupts. As the family arrives we learn that Mary’s divorce decree has come through — and this means, alas, that she will become a pariah. The newspaper screams news of “divorce in high places,” and indeed, the ball’s hostess actually kicks Mary out of the party because royalty is coming. Mary’s concerned parents are outraged — but they stay, and their daughter heads out, quipping that she hopes a taxi will agree to take her.
Soon enough we’re back at Downton, and there is one very big difference: no longer does Violet Crawley, aka Maggie Smith, with her inimitable style and those hilarious quips, rule the halls. She died in the last film — and Smith died in 2024. But the film is dedicated to her in more ways than one.
Besides Violet, almost everyone is back, and we have a few new (or newly returning) characters as well. Paul Giamatti is, happily, back from the TV show as Harold, the brother of Cora (Elizabeth McGovern, always a warm presence as Robert’s American wife).
Harold arrives from America with some unfortunate news – he’s wasted away much of their family fortune. Accompanying him is friend Gus, a handsome and clever type — or so it seems — who has been advising Harold on his finances. Gus (Alessandro Nivola) worms his way into Mary’s good graces, and more — but he may not be nearly as clever as he first appears.
Then there’s Simon Russell Beale as the pompous Hector, who tries to hold onto local tradition but runs up against Isobel (Penelope Wilton), and a charming Arty Froushan as Noel Coward himself. The playwright is the closest thing in Downton world to a modern celebrity — everyone wants to be with him, no matter station nor gender, and he winds up helping Mary overcome her social shunning.
Nowhere to be seen is dashing Hugh Dancy, who played a film director (besotted with Mary) in the last movie. But the character that director anointed as a screenwriter, Joseph Moseley (Kevin Doyle), is back, and Fellowes must have enjoyed writing this line for him: “In many ways the writers are the stars of cinema.”
To be honest, the script veers from clever to extremely sappy, or to filler lines like “I think I’ll go get another cup.” But kudos for moment a befuddled Robert describes the newfound phenomenon of an apartment building as “a layer cake of strangers.”
“Sometimes I feel that the past is a more comfortable place than the future,” someone says in a poignant moment. But this final movie will give loyal Downton fans what they want: a satisfying bit of closure and the sense that the future, though a bit scary, may look kindly on Downton Abbey as long as Mary is in charge. And as long as Smith’s Violet, imposing in a front-hall portrait, is looking down from above.
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” a Focus Features release, has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association “ for suggestive material, smoking and some thematic elements.“ Running time: 123 minutes. Two and half stars out of four.
