Oprah should have produced this.
-------------------------------- Oh gosh. Turns out I have to add ten lines. OK. Consider what follows a very wordy way of saying the above. (Is concision no longer considered a virtue?) There may be original unexpected parts in Allison's novel, but a story of going home to the South and of escaping an abusive husband needs SOMETHING to make it seem new. The main character has good reasons for the hurtful thing she's done, but the cause of death of her second mate doesn't exactly set her up as someone to sympathize with, and her long-time neglect of her daughters needs more justification than we get. The fervently Christian daughter has one touching reason for her faith that takes her beyond caricature, but only momentarily. Sedgwick's character is so stock it's hard to fault her for not taking it much beyond the obvious. The most compelling acting is by the LA and Christian daughters and the grandparents. Even the music (a rich lode to mine once you're in the South) makes the "Dawson's Creek" soundtracks sound inspired.
-------------------------------- Oh gosh. Turns out I have to add ten lines. OK. Consider what follows a very wordy way of saying the above. (Is concision no longer considered a virtue?) There may be original unexpected parts in Allison's novel, but a story of going home to the South and of escaping an abusive husband needs SOMETHING to make it seem new. The main character has good reasons for the hurtful thing she's done, but the cause of death of her second mate doesn't exactly set her up as someone to sympathize with, and her long-time neglect of her daughters needs more justification than we get. The fervently Christian daughter has one touching reason for her faith that takes her beyond caricature, but only momentarily. Sedgwick's character is so stock it's hard to fault her for not taking it much beyond the obvious. The most compelling acting is by the LA and Christian daughters and the grandparents. Even the music (a rich lode to mine once you're in the South) makes the "Dawson's Creek" soundtracks sound inspired.