Movie Stats:
Released 2002 (USA)
American & British, in English
Director - Stephen Daldry
Stars - Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and many others
Plot Summary:
A day in the life of three tangentially connected women: Virginia Woolf (Kidman), Clarissa Vaughan (Streep), and Laura Brown (Moore).
Warnings:
Minor blue language.
Bad Stuff:
It’s dull.
I’m having a difficult time putting this point into words. I get what this film is trying to do but I think that it falls short of the mark. For me, this movie doesn’t quite connect. It’s right there. I think it’s almost but not quite brilliant, and that frustrates me.
Some of the girl kissing feels forced/gratuitous. Like the director wanted there to be a lesbian scene in every story for symmetry or titillation.
Good Stuff:
The acting is very good. In a cast of heavy hitters, the ones who have the biggest impact are Kidman, Ed Harris (as Clarissa’s dying friend, Richard), and Jeff Daniels (as Clarissa’s friend/Richard’s ex, Louis Waters).
I like that it shows the complexity of human relationships and sexuality without having to have a conversation about it. For example, Clarissa and Louis both used to sleep with Richard, but there’s no conversation such as, “Am I bi? Am I gay?” It just is and it’s accepted. I also like that it portrays with sympathy a woman who discovers too late that she’s not cut out to be a mother.
Great soundtrack.
About the Performance:
As stated above, I think that Kidman is very good in this. Her whole affect really embodies what it feels like to be deeply depressed. I’ve been there myself, and it seemed all too familiar to me, this being completely flat and emotionless on the surface, like she was sleepwalking through her day. Honestly, it sort of gives me chills thinking about it, how accurate it was. She really seemed so unlike many of the other roles I’ve seen her in, and that’s a hallmark of some fine acting.
Other performances of Kidman’s I’ve reviewed: none.
The Verdict:
I want to like this film more than I actually do. It has everything that should make a movie great: excellent actors who give fine performances, solid writing, and an engaging soundtrack. And yet it doesn’t hit the bullseye. It’s not easy for me to say why. It just doesn’t seem to have the emotional impact that it should have. Something about it is sort of cold/antiseptic. It left me wanting.
I give it 3.5 stars.
3 comments:
Your writing about Kidman hitting the depressed mark reminded me that indeed, that was a very true-to-life aspect of that story. I mostly remember this movie for Moore's performance. It was gut-wrenching to me, having to run away from your children to save yourself. I heard judgement about it (mostly from my mother) but I also found it a sympathetic portrayal. It's also a nice reminder that women now have a viable no-child option for living their lives. As I've taken that path, it's not surprising that I would relate most to that character.
I also have clear memories of the drowning scene, which I remember as having an oddly liberating feeling.
As for Kidman, something about her has always been a little off putting to me. I think it's because I don't find her particularly beautiful, and have long been flummoxed when people say she is. This dates from the movie Far and Away. Also, I feel like a lot of her performances tend toward the cool ice queen, though I agree that this one did not.
I agree about Kidman, there's something very "cold" about her. Interestingly enough, it's only when she performs. When I see her in interviews, she seems warm and delightful. This is one of the few performances where she doesn't come across as an ice queen.
I've often thought that my maternal grandmother is one of those women who shouldn't have had kids. At least, looking through old scrapbooks and pictures, it seems as though she was much happier before she got married and had kids. Obviously, if things had been different back then, I wouldn't be alive, but it's an interesting thought experiment to consider how her life would have turned out if she'd had other choices.
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