Movie Review: Georgia Rule – Starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan & Felicity Huffman
Movie: Georgia Rule (R)
Released: May 11th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman
Director: Garry Marshall
Rating: Wait for the Rental, if Not Longer
Synopsis: A mom takes her pain-in-the-ass teenage age daughter to live with her grandmother. A place the mom never wanted to go back to because of the strict code of conduct that is expected of those who live with her. Maybe a pain-in-the-ass grandmother is just what the young woman needs to put her back on the straight and narrow.
Review: Georgia Rule is two movies mashed up into one. It attempts to be both a drama and a comedy. Yet, it does neither genre justice and leaves you wondering what might have been, if they had just chosen one or the other.
If you have seen the trailer or advertisements for this movie, you would think it is a multi-generational romantic dramedy that leans more to the comedy side of things. It looks like the story of a woman and her uncontrollable teenage daughter, one she takes to live with her grandmother in an attempt to give her some structure. The daughter finds a young man and mom reconnects with a past love. The three generations learn from each other and forgive each other for the past.
But, what you get is a hard drama about molestation, drinking and promiscuity with a few comic moments thrown in and the romance is nowhere to be found. When the young man declares his love for the granddaughter to the grandmother, all you can do is wonder why? They don’t spend much time developing this relationship. One row in a boat and the dude is in love.
When the bombshell of what may be a root cause of this young woman’s self-destructive behavior is dropped, you are like where did that come? From there on out, all attempts at humor are not very funny and seem wholly out of place. This movie is Rated-R for a reason.
Had they gone with a pure drama about a tortured teen and her drunk of a mother going to visit the stern grandmother, then this might have worked. Or, if they had gone the romantic comedy route, where the young man shows her love for who she is instead of how she looks or acts, then it might have worked. But, unlike chocolate and peanut butter, these two don’t go together.
The acting was very good all the way around. Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) as the young out of control woman is very convincing. Felicity Huffman (TV’s Desperate Housewives) as the mother, at the end of her rope and a lush, is quite good. Jane Fonda (Monster-in-Law) plays the gruff old grandmother with all the rules with great spirit.
The main problem is with the direction. Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman) attempts to pull the heartstrings and tickle the funny bone at the same time. Georgia Rule is a movie that never develops a good flow to it. Much in the same way as last week’s Spider-Man 3, it shifts from one scene to another with a lack of smoothness. There is an abruptness to the story being told. There are a couple of scenes that just serve no purpose, other than to get a rise out of the audience. Actually, he uses a couple of rises to accomplish this task. Neither of which, really drive the story forward. Multiple times in the movie, some in the audience gave out an, “Oh!” or loud gasp at what they were seeing. For me, all this in your face, shock content isn’t needed. It all took away from what could have been an outstanding drama or a funny romantic comedy.
All in all, you should wait for the rental, if not longer – New Movie Friday Rule.
Georgia Rules the Weekend
Well, not really. Spider-Man 3 will once again rule the weekend box office. But, I saw that last week and need to choose something else to go see this Friday.
Last weekend was the first big blockbuster weekend of the summer season. I guess they needed a breather before really getting into the summer blockbuster season. Maybe, they don’t want to overwhelm the moviegoer too fast.
That is what this week is, almost a week off. Not quite as bad as the choices back at the beginning of the year. But, 28 Weeks Later, Delta Farce, The Ex and Georgia Rule are what we have to choose from.
If 28 Days Later
Other than the title of Delta Farce being a spoof of the title of the Chuck Norris actioner, The Delta Force
The Ex may actually be funny, but anytime a movie gets a name change and a later release date, I think there might be something wrong with it. Zach Braff (TV’s Scrubs), Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards, TV’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) and Jason Bateman (TV’s Arrested Development) are all actors I like, but I think this one might have to wait for its number to come up on the old Netflix queue, once it gets released on DVD.
That leaves Georgia Rule. Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) plays an out of control youth. Wow, I hope she didn’t have to stretch too much as an actress to get into character. It also stars Felicity Huffman (TV’s Desperate Housewives) as her mother who’s had enough and Jane Fonda (Monster-in-Law) as her no nonsense grandmother that her mom takes her to live with in Idaho.
A little comedy drama respite until the summer season picks up steam again next week with Shrek the Third and the third installment of The Pirates of the Caribbean the week after.
Of the four big screen offerings opening wide this week, which one would you go see?
New Movie Releases for Friday, May 11th
Eleven new movies open this Friday. Four open wide and seven in limited release.
Movies Opening Nationwide on Friday, May 11th:
Movie: 28 Weeks Later (R)
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne and Harold Perrineau, Jr.
Genre: Sci-Fi Horror
Synopsis: Six months have past and they think they have wiped out the virus, but have they? As family members reunite and the city starts to rebuild, they find that someone is carrying the deadly virus, but now in a form without outward symptoms. So, the battle wages on.
First Thoughts: Sequel to 28 Days Later
Movie: Delta Farce (PG-13)
Starring: Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and D.J. Qualls
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: Three guys get mistaken for Army Reservists and are sent to Iraq. But, they end up landing in Mexico. Thinking they are in Iraq they save a village from bandits and become heroes of the locals. Then the Warlord decides these guys need to be gotten rid of. Hilarity is supposed to ensue.
First Thoughts: This evokes thoughts of In the Army Now
Movie: The Ex (PG-13)
Starring: Zach Braff, Amanda Peet and Jason Bateman
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: A slacker must get a job when his wife, a high-powered attorney, gets pregnant and decides to become a stay-at-home mom. So, he goes to work for his father-in-law to support his family. In doing so, he is sabotaged at every turn by a guy in a wheel chair. That guy wants to ruin his life and win the love of his wife. He finds it hard to fight back against him.
First Thoughts: Great cast and looks as though it might be funny. Used to be called Fasttrack, but got a name change and a new release on life to theaters.
Movie: Georgia Rule (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan
Genre: Comedy Drama
Synopsis: A pain-in-the-ass teenager is taken by her mom to live with her grandmother. A place the mom never wanted to go back to because of the strict code of conduct that she expects those who live with her to follow. Maybe a pain-in-the-ass grandmother is just what the girl needs to put her back on the straight and narrow.
First Thoughts: It has a solid cast and the trailer looks good, but we all know how deceiving that can be.
Movies in Limited Release This Week:
- Blind Dating – A comedy about a blind guy who is shy around women, while not in every other aspect of his life, and gets help from his brother.
- Day Night Day Night – A drama about a woman who goes to Manhattan and with the help of many handlers sets out to blow up Times Square. As she walks the streets, she doesn’t know when the bomb she is carrying will go off.
- The Hip Hop Project – The story of Kazi, a homeless teenager in New York that used Hip Hop to inspire a group of other homeless teens to transform their lives using Hip Hop as the vehicle to do so. Russell Simmons and Bruce Willis helped them get studio time and fours years in the making they released a CD.
- Life in a…Metro – It is a collection of shorts about people trying to find love in Mumbai, India.
- Provoked: A True Story – The story of a woman from India who married a London-man and then was beaten for 10 years. She murders him and ends up in jail. While there she meets another abused woman and activists try to fight for their freedom.
- The Salon – It looks like Beauty Shop with a political twist regarding the government’s use of eminent domain and a court battle.
- ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway – See what it takes to get a musical on a Broadway stage. From casting, staging to opening night on to being nominated for a Tony award.
None of the movies in limited release are playing anywhere near me, so that leaves just the four wide openings for New Movie Friday to choose from this week. Which one would you go see?
Movie Review: Spider-Man 3 – Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst & James Franco
Released: May 4th, 2007
Runtime: 2 hr. 18 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee + $1.25 Fandango surcharge
Refreshments: Swedish Fish
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Topher Grace and Thomas Haden Church
Director: Sam Raimi
Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket
Synopsis: When a black entity from out of this world comes in contact with Peter Parker, he has to deal with its aggressive properties. Feelings of revenge and other temptations put obstacles in the way of his love life, while there are new villains to contend with. He must deal with his inner demons to once again become the hero that the city needs.
Review: Spider-Man 3 is a rollicking good time, even if a bit disjointed and more on the dour side than the first two. Sequels are always tricky. How do you give the people something new without changing what it is they like about the first one. Most consider the second one to be the better of the two previous. So, could this one meet the expectations that would be heaped upon it?
Expectations have been riding high ever since a third installment of the Spider-Man franchise was announced. How could they not be after the first two gave the moviegoer everything you could possibly ask for from a comic-book movie? Raising them even more has been all the commercials and the trailers playing before just about every movie for weeks now. If you have Comcast, then you have probably seen the commercial for the trailer that you could watch on demand. Ya gotta love a commercial for what amounts to another commercial. All this leads to a sense of anticipation of great things to come.
The Spider-Man movies have been huge because they didn’t eschew character development and plot. Spider-Man
In general, it does a good job of this. It finally puts friend against former friend, as Harry Osborn, played by James Franco (Spider-Man 1&2, Annapolis), becomes the New Goblin and wants to take revenge on Spider-Man because he thinks he killed his father. This story arc has been building over the course of each movie. The story also goes back to the death of Peter’s uncle and introduces a new villain, Flint Marko, played by Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, TV’s Wings), who becomes the Sandman. He was actually the person responsible for shooting Uncle Ben. This gives Peter a foe he may well take revenge on, as well.
Revenge is a popular theme in Spider-Man 3. Eddie Brock, played by Topher Grace (Good Company, TV’s That ‘70s Show), wants to get Peter Parker because he feels he has humiliated him and stolen his girl. Granted Eddie did go all James Frey in a photographic way and Peter just pointed it out. But, when Eddie learns that Peter is Spider-Man and gets the other worldly substance on him, he becomes Venom, the evil alter ego of Spider-Man.
Spider-Man 3 is all about the battle between revenge and forgiveness. Can you learn forgiveness? For yourself, for others or will you let revenge consume and destroy you? This is what all the main characters are dealing with. It has elements of a morality play where the lesson is, be forgiving. It made me think of War Games
The main problem is how these themes pull together to make the whole. The ideas are good. The acting is good. The roadmap seems to be heading in the right direction. It just doesn’t have the smoothness between dramatic moments and action sequence as I recall from the first two. As stated above, it seems disjointed.
Though the movie is on the dour side, it does have plenty of light comedic moments you have come to expect. These include Peter Parker, under the influence of the black suit, getting his John Travolta on in a few scenes and the scene after Spider-Man first encounters the Sandman is very funny.
Even with all that in mind, it is still worth a full price ticket and a viewing on the big screen. This is not the type of movie to see for the first time on your smaller home theater system. If you loved the first two, you might be a tad disappointed with this one, but go see it anyway. If you are disappointed, just remember to find a little forgiveness, as all three are better than most comic-book tales that get the Hollywood treatment in recent years.
What did you think of Spider-Man 3?
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