I made the mistake of not writing a review relatively soon after this flick, and so it now being well over a month since I saw it this write-up will likely be pretty short and undetailed. You probably don’t care, but whatever.
This was a quality flick with a fantastic ensemble cast. Joan Allen wonderfully portrays the “angry” drunk matriarch of the family, lamenting the fact that her husband has up and left her with alone with her four daughters, all played wonderfully by very talented young actresses, most notably Evan Rachel Wood (of Thirteen fame). Kevin Costner has a fantastic turn here as well, playing the concerned friend and “drinking buddy” of Allen, and ultimately her love-interest.
There are lots of fun and insightful moments here, as we follow multiple story lines including the core one involving Allen as well as one for each of the daughters who are struggling not only through their mother’s troubles but their own issues relative to their various ages. Over the course of the film we are shown the various paths anger can lead us, both positive and negative, depending on where it is placed and how it is focused. It is easy to relate to the characters which are so vividly portrayed, and there is lots of room for emotional connection, even if you sometimes wish some of the subplots got a little more fleshed out. However, you then have to remind yourself that were that to happen the movie would get far too long.
My one real grievance with the flick has to do with the “twist” which comes toward the end of the film, which I don’t want to give away here. Suffice it to say, I felt as though it deflated many of the points the movie was working so hard to create up until that point, but then again my girlfriend tried explaining to me the way that it actually did work out right and still made sense. I just didn’t see it as the right decision to make from a writing stand-point. It seemed to me more like a desperate attempt to shake up the audience when it wasn’t really needed because we are already so interested and invested in the characters by that point. Anyway, it is still a wonderful little character-driven film which deserves to be seen. Go check it out when you get the chance, although you’ll probably have to wait until video at this point.
7.5/10 Awesomes
IMDB Page and Site Directory
IMDB Page
About Me and My Site
Recommendations
Recent Reviews
Still In Theaters
Movie Review Archive
Top 10's!
Cool Links
Home