Stephen Frears' "The Lost King" is based on one of those real-life stories that's so delightful you can't quite believe it's true: An amateur historian in Edinburgh named Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins), fascinated by King Richard III, manages to pinpoint the exact location of the monarch's long-lost remains — beneath a thoroughly unlovely parking lot in the town of Leicester. It's a tale made for the movies, and a character perfectly suited to the great Hawkins, who specializes in wispy-voiced women with cores of steel.
As depicted in the film, Philippa leads a complicated life: She's a divorced mother of two who's on good terms with her amiable ex (Steve Coogan, who also co-wrote the screenplay), struggles to gain respect at her uninspiring job in sales, and copes with the effects of a long-term illness that often leaves her in pain and exhausted. One day, she takes her son to a production of "Richard III," and a spark is lit; soon, she's at a pub joining a meeting of Richard III buffs. (In my dreams, every British pub has one of these meetings in a back corner.) "You sure you want to join this group? You look quite normal," one of them asks her. "I'm not," she says coolly, accustomed to being underestimated.
"The Lost King" reunites the team behind "Philomena" (Frears, Coogan and co-writer Jeff Pope), and it has a similarly moving quality; you're instantly on Philippa's side, aching with her every time someone condescends to her, cheering her on as her dream draws closer. And Frears handles the film's one whimsical touch — a vision of King Richard (Harry Lloyd), with whom Philippa frequently converses — with such refreshingly brisk dryness, we buy it instantly. It's a feel-good film about dreams, about obsession, about believing in yourself when nobody else seems to be doing it for you, and Hawkins carries it with effortless ease. "Hello," she says quietly, looking down at what lies in the excavation she insisted on; there's an entire world in that tiny word.
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‘THE LOST KING’
3.5 stars out of 4
Rated: PG-13 (for some strong language and brief suggestive references)
Running time: 1:48
How to watch: In theaters Friday
