It's rare when I am THIS out of sync with a film. "Member of the Wedding" has a very respectable overall score of 7.7 and the acting of Julie Harris was nominated for an Oscar. However, I really, really disliked the film and think a lot of the reason is that this style of acting and writing just seem very old fashioned and very inappropriate today.
The film is mostly a one-lady show where Julie Harris plays a 12 year-old even though she was in her mid-late 20s when she did this. Additionally, the 12 year-old in question seems NOTHING like a a child from this planet! Harris is very, very, very petulant, irrational and whiny--like she is having the world's longest temper tantrum. In a 3 year-old this might be believable, but in a supposed 12 year-old it's not. It's really a lot like a very, very young child who insists on walking into a room full of adults to perform--and it gets tiresome very, very quickly. It's supposed to be a coming of age tale but instead comes off as very fake.
As for the rest of the staff, Brandon De Wilde does very well for a young --mostly because he really is a young boy. And the film does manage to get a few points because Ethel Waters is, not surprisingly, wonderful. But they just aren't enough to save the film from the over-the-top and incredibly dated central character. Folks, this is pretty tough going--I really wanted to like this film but couldn't.
The film is mostly a one-lady show where Julie Harris plays a 12 year-old even though she was in her mid-late 20s when she did this. Additionally, the 12 year-old in question seems NOTHING like a a child from this planet! Harris is very, very, very petulant, irrational and whiny--like she is having the world's longest temper tantrum. In a 3 year-old this might be believable, but in a supposed 12 year-old it's not. It's really a lot like a very, very young child who insists on walking into a room full of adults to perform--and it gets tiresome very, very quickly. It's supposed to be a coming of age tale but instead comes off as very fake.
As for the rest of the staff, Brandon De Wilde does very well for a young --mostly because he really is a young boy. And the film does manage to get a few points because Ethel Waters is, not surprisingly, wonderful. But they just aren't enough to save the film from the over-the-top and incredibly dated central character. Folks, this is pretty tough going--I really wanted to like this film but couldn't.