If ever a film looked like it was hoping for awards success, it's this one. James McAvoy plays Valentin, the new secretary of legendary Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (of War and Peace fame), who gets more than he bargained for with his new job, as the aging Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) has pretty much created his own religion, that includes vows of poverty and celibacy. His wife (Helen Mirren) isn't particularly impressed by this, especially as she comes to believe Tolstoy may have signed a new will leaving his novels to the Russian people, rather than his family. The film, from director Michael Hoffman, may not sound that exciting, but the trailer makes it look like it may actually be a lot of fun, and more humourous than you'd expect. If nothing else, it's got an incredible cast. The film arrives in the UK on February 19th, 2010.
