Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, rated PG-13
*** ½

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is a pleasing ending to the television and film franchise about the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in England. The film was directed by Simon Curtis (Downton Abbey: A New Era), and was written by Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park). It is the sequel to 2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era, and is the third, and presumably final, Downton Abbey film.
The film takes place in 1930, a year after the stock market crash, in London and Yorkshire. Long-time fans of the television series will be pleased to see most of the loved characters from the series returning (Dame Maggie Smith, to whom the film is dedicated, died in 2024).

The film deals with the fallout from the public announcement of Lady Mary Talbot, played by Michelle Dockery, and Henry Talbot’s divorce. In addition, there are several changes taking place including the retirements of Charles Carson, played by Jim Carter, and Beryl Patmore, played by Lesley Nicol. Finances are also an issue, as Cora’s brother Harold, played by two-time Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers, Cinderella Man), from America deals with financial failure as a result of bad decisions by Gus Sambrook, played by Alessandro Nivola.
The sets and costumes in the film are excellent as always. There is an implied sexual encounter between Lady Mary and Gus Sambrook, and the homosexuality of Guy Dexter, played by Dominic West, Thomas Barrow, played by Robert James Collier, and Noël Coward, played by Arty Froushan is lightly touched on.
The film was well-made (acting, directing, sets), and is fitting end to the much-loved Downton Abbey television series and films.