But that's not exactly fair, as Sellers created his roles from scratch, while Rush has plenty of good material to draw from. The coolest aspect of The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, though, is Rush's subtle ability to convey the "real" Peter Sellers even when he's trapped in the body of an Inspector Clouseau, a Chance the Gardener, etc. It's a real standing-ovation performance, and the film undoubtedly belongs to him. Which isn't to say the rest of the cast is slacking. Of course, I love most movies where famous people are impersonated (The Long Island Lolita remains one of my favorite movies of all time), but this one has top-notch actors in roles that actually suit them. Charlize Theron is a perfect Britt Ekland; John Lithgow is great as Blake Edwards (though I can't vouch for how accurate his portrayal is … I'm not sure I've ever seen Blake Edwards himself, much less any of his films besides Blame it on Rio), and Miriam Margolyes (the landlady from The Apple!) almost steals the show as Seller's mother Peg. Even Emily Watson, whom I hate, comes off well as Seller's first wife, and the ubiquitous Stanley Tucci holds his own as Stanley Kubrick (surely he went through Namesake Casting, Inc.™). My only regret cast-wise is that they didn't get anyone to play Ringo Starr or George Harrison. Surely everyone else wanted to see a recreation of the time Sellers stopped by Twickenham Studios while The Beatles were filming Let It Be? No? Just me? Ah, okay. Fuck all a'y'all. The film uses bold recreations of some of Sellers's famous moments along with fantastical flights of fancy that blur the lines between Sellers the man and Sellers the artist. It's a slightly odd approach that probably wouldn't work if the subject were anyone else, but the slightly arrogant whimsy suits Sellers's story well. Ultimately, TLADOPS succumbs to a few too many biopic clichés, especially in the declining years, but in between there's enough dirt on how much of a dick the guy was in real life, and how brilliant he was in his career, to inspire you to go out and rent some of the original films. It's a fitting tribute to a man who was, probably, a good deal more minor a genius than he thought he was.
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