"The Queen" Directed by: Stephen Frears Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Helen McCrory Rated: PG-13 (for strong language) Running time: 98 minutes Best suited for: lovers of strong, characterdriven or history-driven drama, Anglophiles Least suited for: those expecting tongue-in-cheek or mean-spirited pokes at the royal family

For sheer drama addicts (and particularly Anglophiles who love the likes of "Vera Drake" and "Mrs. Brown"), "The Queen" may be a character study that's hard to beat.

This mildly humorous, deadly serious docudrama stars Helen Mirren in the title role as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II-the detached, oblivious and arguably obsolete puppet ruler of a world power. It's a tough career path, especially if you take the gig seriously. According to director Stephen Frears, she does. Queen Elizabeth continues to believe hers is a position ordained by God.

If the film falls somewhat short in terms of overall plot consequence (multiple reactions to a tragic death that takes place off-screen), "The Queen" more than compensates in a devout and ultimately balanced character study.

The film begins with Tony Blair's landslide victory as British prime minister in 1997. Blair (played with a wide-eyed innocence by Michael Sheen) promises to modernize the country, much to the chagrin of the royal family. Monarchy is hardly a futuristic notion, and its members seem to live with an unspoken fear of imminent retirement.

But mere months after Blair and Liz (I can say that, I'm a Colonial) square off, a bigger national disaster threatens the throne. Princess Di (appearing only in film clips and actual photographs) dies in Paris. The world is saddened, the British populace stunned. While Blair attempts to soothe the nation, the royal family instead makes a private getaway to Balmoral, where they cavalierly hunt and hibernate on their palatial estate, sneering at TV broadcasts of their nation in mourning.

"This will pass," Prince Philip (James Cromwell) adamantly tells his wife.

It's this incredulous 'tude that proves the film's greatest strength: You simply can't fabricate this kind of haughty dispassion and it's fascinating to watch. "The Queen" is an astute study of 21st century nobility padding about a world quickly passing them by. Is it possible, through the disdain, to actually feel sorry for them?

If you're the type who believes "what happens in Britain stays in Britain," chances are you won't enjoy this film. You'll find it droll and boring. However, if you care to peek into the realm of an antiquated ruling class teetering on the precipice of extinction, "The Queen" becomes a grandly voyeuristic look into, essentially, a living museum.

The film purports that Diana's death nearly ruined the monarchy. While Philip, the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms) and Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) are portrayed largely as clueless louts, the film allows Elizabeth to walk that particular tightrope with empathy. Are we getting to know her? By the film's ending, however, one begins to wonder if "The Queen" becomes too precociously balanced, too evenly handed for the setup. In reality, can there really be such equilibrium in a family so dysfunctional? But "The Queen" is hardly a lampoon; it doesn't resort to the brash impudence of, say, "The Madness of King George." Frankly, that would have been an easier route-certainly a more profitable one.

"The Queen" instead is a quiet, even dignified study of a woman living in a bubble, a lavish vacuum of isolation and loneliness. Elizabeth clearly loves the nation she's emotionally abandoned. She struggles to reconcile the distance, the confounding void between her kingdom and its people. In fact, by the film's ending, I believe we do know her a bit. And one might even consider the notion of liking her.