The Last Station (2009)
Directed by Michael Hoffman
A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things. The Countess Sofya, wife and muse to Leo Tolstoy, uses every trick of seduction on her husband's loyal disciple, whom she believes was the person responsible for Tolstoy signing a new will that leaves his work and property to the Russian people.
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Once again, the charming McAvoy, with his boyish enthusiasm, finds himself helping other people get nominated for Oscars (Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland"; Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement").
James McAvoy, whose roles were more serious in films like Atonement, is quite adept in the comedic scenes as Valentin tries to hide his developing relationship with the free-spirited Masha (Kerry Condon), whom he meets on the Tolstoy estate.
McAvoy was effective in controlled doses as the docile working-class foil in Atonement, but his puppyish face proves distracting in the one-upping literary salon, where scribes write down everything anybody says and cut each other to pieces.
When young Tolstoyan Valentin Bulgakov (James McAvoy, "Atonement") is recruited to be the great writer's assistant by Tolstoy's Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti, "Sideways," "Cold Souls"), Chertkov warns him that he must keep note of everything that happens, particularly in regards to copyrights, because Tolstoy's wife, the Countess Sofya (Helen Mirren, "The Queen") is dangerous.