"Lovely & Amazing" is one of those rare films about women that does the gender justice.
I must admit to a pet peeve about the portrayal of women in movies. I find far too often that women are used as the mechanism for the downfall of men. It has been this way since Eve allegedly tempted Adam to taste the forbidden fruit, or Samson entrusted his hair to Delilah and so on. A shining example is Martin Scorcese's "Casino" where drugged-out Ginger, portrayed by Sharon Stone, leads Sam, portrayed by Robert DeNiro, into ruin. I hate that. I think it's misogynistic.
More recent depictions of groups of women have taken on a "Sex in the City" flair, case in point is the "Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood". I find these depictions uninteresting popular fantasies that attempt to empower women by shooting them full of testosterone, creating in them the lasciviousness of men. Yes, it empowers women by tearing down traditional sexual roles, but ignores a serious multi-dimensional look of women's lives in total.
"Lovely & Amazing" portrayed women in total. It is the story of a Mother and her two daughters at a time of growth and change in their lives.
One important symbolic scene depicts one of the daughters, Elizabeth (portrayed by Emily Mortimer), naked asking to be told the truth about her body. She hears that one breast is slightly larger than the other, that her pubic hair needs to be trimmed, that one eye is larger than the other, that her upper arms are a little flabby, and her teeth are a little yellow. She also hears that her breast look beautifully natural, that her hips are wonderful and that she is well proportioned. Through this scene we realize that Elizabeth is beautiful because of her imperfections. We remember why the statue of the "Venus De Milo" with her missing arms and legs is so beautiful. This one scene is the essence of the film and what I seek in these types of films.
The entire film reaches for truth and honesty in the depiction of the main characters. The mother, Jane Marks (portrayed by Brendy Blethyn), daughter Michelle (portrayed by Catherien Keener) and Elizabeth genuinely depict the lives of these women and their inner turmoil.
Jake Gyllinhaal and Dermot Mulroney turn in some fine work as the love interests that truly appreciated the Keener and Mortimer characters.
My one small problem with the film was that watching it made me feel a little like listening to Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" (used often, most famously perhaps at JFK's funeral and in Oliver Stone's village burning scene in "Platoon") where the music reaches mournfully higher and higher, never consumating the notes or the emotions until the very end. I love that music and this film, but it would have been nice if the film provided some resting points along the way.
My score is 9 out of 10 or ***3/4* out of ****.
I must admit to a pet peeve about the portrayal of women in movies. I find far too often that women are used as the mechanism for the downfall of men. It has been this way since Eve allegedly tempted Adam to taste the forbidden fruit, or Samson entrusted his hair to Delilah and so on. A shining example is Martin Scorcese's "Casino" where drugged-out Ginger, portrayed by Sharon Stone, leads Sam, portrayed by Robert DeNiro, into ruin. I hate that. I think it's misogynistic.
More recent depictions of groups of women have taken on a "Sex in the City" flair, case in point is the "Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood". I find these depictions uninteresting popular fantasies that attempt to empower women by shooting them full of testosterone, creating in them the lasciviousness of men. Yes, it empowers women by tearing down traditional sexual roles, but ignores a serious multi-dimensional look of women's lives in total.
"Lovely & Amazing" portrayed women in total. It is the story of a Mother and her two daughters at a time of growth and change in their lives.
One important symbolic scene depicts one of the daughters, Elizabeth (portrayed by Emily Mortimer), naked asking to be told the truth about her body. She hears that one breast is slightly larger than the other, that her pubic hair needs to be trimmed, that one eye is larger than the other, that her upper arms are a little flabby, and her teeth are a little yellow. She also hears that her breast look beautifully natural, that her hips are wonderful and that she is well proportioned. Through this scene we realize that Elizabeth is beautiful because of her imperfections. We remember why the statue of the "Venus De Milo" with her missing arms and legs is so beautiful. This one scene is the essence of the film and what I seek in these types of films.
The entire film reaches for truth and honesty in the depiction of the main characters. The mother, Jane Marks (portrayed by Brendy Blethyn), daughter Michelle (portrayed by Catherien Keener) and Elizabeth genuinely depict the lives of these women and their inner turmoil.
Jake Gyllinhaal and Dermot Mulroney turn in some fine work as the love interests that truly appreciated the Keener and Mortimer characters.
My one small problem with the film was that watching it made me feel a little like listening to Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" (used often, most famously perhaps at JFK's funeral and in Oliver Stone's village burning scene in "Platoon") where the music reaches mournfully higher and higher, never consumating the notes or the emotions until the very end. I love that music and this film, but it would have been nice if the film provided some resting points along the way.
My score is 9 out of 10 or ***3/4* out of ****.