It is fair to say that Downtown Abbey is a show that took over the world! It is the kind of show that on paper would have a very specific audience, but people from all walks of life ended up loving it. Showing a well-to-do and high society family and the people that work for them sounds like a pretentious kind of show, but Downtown Abbey was anything but that.
How to Stream or Download Downtown Abbey (2019)
You can stream it or you can download the film from a digital store. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
Still, as popular as the show was, I never in a million years thought that it would get a movie, let alone a theatrically released one. Yet here we are and you know what, the movie is actually fantastic. I will say that if you like Downtown Abbey, you are going to love this movie.
Yet, I do also have to warn you that if you have watched the show and did not get into it, the Downtown Abbey movie is not going to win you over. This is like a two-hour episode of the show and I mean that as a good thing. Creator Julian Fellowes and director Michael Engler did not change things for the sake of doing so for the big screen and that was 100 percent the right decision to make here.
I found the plot of the movie to be a lot of fun. The Crowley family is about to host two very important guests in King George the Fifth and his wife Queen Mary. As you would expect, things have to be perfect for this and that is where most of the drama unfolds from. Maggie Smith is amazing once again as Violet and we get to see a more “vulnerable” side from her in this movie which was interesting.
The most interesting plot that the movie has running through it is in regards to Thomas Barrow. Thomas is not able to truly be himself as he is gay and in 1920s England this was not allowed. His trying to be himself and not get caught is very well done in the movie. He also has trouble at work with him being replaced as the head butler for the king and queen’s visit.
As you would expect there is some great humor here too. The best of the humor comes from the downstairs staff who are trying to get things ready for this royal visit. The king and queen have their own servants and the two rival teams of servants clashing was a real highlight of the movie for me. There is a great scene where the rivalry spills over when they are actually waiting on people.
I thought that everyone involved in Downtown Abbey the movie did a remarkable job. This is a great example of how to bring a TV show to the big screen. I really cannot think of anything that they could have done better here. After being off the air for so long at the time this was released, I wondered if it still had an audience. Well, the money it made at the box office and the fact there is a sequel shows it certain did!
