My wife apologized profusely for insisting that we watch this. It was not a hard sell - we are both fans of Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd (perhaps me more so). I am no fan of Stockard Channing or Joan Cusack, but with two Oscar-nominated supporting actresses alongside Natalie and Ashley, I figured this really had to be all right. Right?
We assumed it would be hokey. The Wal-Mart thing pointed accurately to the intended demographic. The ad for the soundtrack before the feature began was an ominous sign. But I could never have expected these four women to involve themselves in something like this. I stayed silent about how awful it was for a while, afraid of ruining the film for my wife, whom I feared might be enjoying it. But when the wind picked up through the window while Novalee was sorting the wedding pictures, I could not refrain from yelling "twister!"
The tornado actually stood as a perfect metaphor for this movie - the dialogue was as subtle and manufactured as a Warner Brothers F4; the plot "twists" and turns as predictable as that studio tornado that creeps through miles of open country, but somehow is gonna wind up tearin' the house down and killing at least a dog. The only thing that surprised me was that
Americus was not sucked out of the storm cellar. I was vindicated, however: I had already predicted the Sister Husband woman was dead.
I was unfortunately right again when I guessed that this was an Oprah Book Club pick. I admire Oprah, and my wife insisted it was too bad for her to select. But my hunch was that no writing this bad could have made it to the big screen without the Oprah propaganda machine. I find it sad that this "touched" so many people, because if I understand the message, it is this: "Women are victims. They will be dumped on and abused until some moment of dumb luck leads to an epiphany that will land them in the arms of the 'right' man."
With a half hour left in the movie, we agreed that Forney was the only one holding up under the weight of this script. That was, until he started speaking more, and succumbed to the dialogue.
I don't care for Wal-Mart and I do read the New Yorker, which clearly pegs me as a cultural elitist liberal snob. So be it. I had never anticipated coming here to post comments about a movie, but something about this movie made me connect to the Internet before the credits rolled. It was as bad as anything I have seen since `How to Make an American Quilt,' another movie I watched against better judgment to see an actress I like.
I won't even mention Sally Field's scene.
Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman are wonderful actresses. See Ruby in Paradise and Beautiful Girls.
We assumed it would be hokey. The Wal-Mart thing pointed accurately to the intended demographic. The ad for the soundtrack before the feature began was an ominous sign. But I could never have expected these four women to involve themselves in something like this. I stayed silent about how awful it was for a while, afraid of ruining the film for my wife, whom I feared might be enjoying it. But when the wind picked up through the window while Novalee was sorting the wedding pictures, I could not refrain from yelling "twister!"
The tornado actually stood as a perfect metaphor for this movie - the dialogue was as subtle and manufactured as a Warner Brothers F4; the plot "twists" and turns as predictable as that studio tornado that creeps through miles of open country, but somehow is gonna wind up tearin' the house down and killing at least a dog. The only thing that surprised me was that
Americus was not sucked out of the storm cellar. I was vindicated, however: I had already predicted the Sister Husband woman was dead.
I was unfortunately right again when I guessed that this was an Oprah Book Club pick. I admire Oprah, and my wife insisted it was too bad for her to select. But my hunch was that no writing this bad could have made it to the big screen without the Oprah propaganda machine. I find it sad that this "touched" so many people, because if I understand the message, it is this: "Women are victims. They will be dumped on and abused until some moment of dumb luck leads to an epiphany that will land them in the arms of the 'right' man."
With a half hour left in the movie, we agreed that Forney was the only one holding up under the weight of this script. That was, until he started speaking more, and succumbed to the dialogue.
I don't care for Wal-Mart and I do read the New Yorker, which clearly pegs me as a cultural elitist liberal snob. So be it. I had never anticipated coming here to post comments about a movie, but something about this movie made me connect to the Internet before the credits rolled. It was as bad as anything I have seen since `How to Make an American Quilt,' another movie I watched against better judgment to see an actress I like.
I won't even mention Sally Field's scene.
Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman are wonderful actresses. See Ruby in Paradise and Beautiful Girls.