Ewan McGregor Charms in ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’, but Can’t Turn the Hit Novel Into a Compelling Show: TV Review
variety.comAlison Herman TV Critic The titular gentleman of “A Gentleman in Moscow” is Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat played with sprightly joie de vivre by an enthusiastic Ewan McGregor.
An aesthete with impassioned opinions about wine pairings, Rostov was born to live the life of leisure handed down to him by his landowning ancestors. (When asked about his job, he replies huffily: “It’s not the position of a gentleman to have occupations.”) The problem is that Rostov is a man unfit for his time.
Before he can assume management of his family’s country estate, the Russian Revolution rudely intervenes. A populist poem from his student days spares Rostov the firing squad, relegating him instead to a lifetime of house arrest in Moscow’s fictional Metropol hotel.
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Amor Towles, “A Gentleman in Moscow” follows Rostov through the doors of the Metropol and stays there through decades of Russian history, from the formation of the Soviet Union to Stalinist repression to World War II and beyond.
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