content: One of the few recent films that I anticipated to be good and it exceeded my expectations.Sir Ian McKellen once again performs well. The real surprise here is Brendan Fraser. Thanks to Bill Condon's amazing screenplay, Fraser is study of expressive and innocent contrast to McKellen's anguished and self-defeated character. Make a point to get this one. Best screenplays consist of strong dialogue, pacing, and narrative. The Oscars are usually accurrate about that.