I enjoyed The Libertine more than I expected. “The most controversial film of the year” declarations are certainly overrated, though the film did paint a decadent portrait of life during the reign of Charles II (John Malkovich) climaxing (pardon the pun) in a Caligula-like stage production the Earl of Rochester mounts (pardon the pun) for the King. Even the handsome Depp begins to look rather repulsive as he suffers from the latter stages of syphilis. Nice performance. By no means a great film, the good performances overcome holes in the plot to ultimately lead to my recommendation.