This is a very clever movie, made with serious intentions, coming out with both a funny and serious side to it. I am talk about the Julia Roberts drama, Something to talk about'. I have seen many movies that look into the issues concerning relationships and infidelity, such as 2002's, unfaithful'. Yet this film looks at a different side of the problems that can hurt a relationship and also shows that one couples problems can be the talk' of the town.
Grace Bichon has a picture perfect life. She helps manage her father's riding-stable and has a great husband and little daughter. That is until she discovers that her husband Eddie is deceiving her with another woman. After confronting him in the middle of the night on the streets of their small home town, she decides to stay at her sister Emma Rae's house for a while, to make up her mind. Breaking out of her everyday life, she starts to question the authority of everyone, especially her father's, thus causing a stir in her parent's marriage, too.
What a great story this film has. I love the way that the audience get the chance to experience what a place it is that poor Grace has to live. It also shows that being part of a relationship is not an easy thing. Another clever addition to the story is the use of gossip, which is perfectly incorporated and performed by the movie's actors. You really believe that this town's people want to know what is going on in the lives of the Bichon family' and that is ultimately why it was called Something to talk about'. This all being said, the film has many characters that I did not like, which is credit to the film's story, allowing me to actually like it. The screenwriter for Something to talk about', is Callie Khouri, who did a film last year, that I want to see, called Devine secrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood'. Callie wrote a most enjoyable script from where I see it.
There are flawless roles from all involved in the movie. This movie's main star is a gal I like, that being Julia Roberts. I remember reading that someone said Robert's needed to do this movie, to save her career from going down the wrong path. Well she shone in this most likeable of roles. I love the way that her character goes through so many emotions, especially the hot-headed temperament, but for good reason. I had to laugh when Grace is so abrupt, asking all her friends at a meeting, has anyone and everyone in the town been sleeping with her husband. The next line is priceless.
The men in Grace's life are not so great. Husband Eddie (Dennis Quaid) is in a most uncomfortable of situations, which he put himself in. Eddie is upstaged by Grace's sister, Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick), who brings Eddie to his knees. Then add in the scene when Grace tries to get revenge on her husband. It is a movie that shows Eddie has done many things wrong. What Grace does might seem a little extreme, but I have no doubt that hurt people will go to such lengths to feel better about themselves and their situation. Grace's father, Wyly King (Robert Duvall) is a man who cares not so much for his family, but more about the disgrace one of his daughter's will bring to the family name, reputation and business. I was shocked when he blurts out All of our friends complain about how their kids grow up and run off and they never hear from them anymore. Why the hell can't that happen to us?'
Director Lasse Hallstrom did a good job with this movie. He certainly seemed fascinated in making a movie which shows how dysfunctional a family really can be, and on more than one level in this film. There was also one name that came up as a bit of a surprise to me in the casting credits, that being Goldie Hawn. She was executive producer of the film, and in some way, you can feel the comedic touch she brought to the film.
Something to talk about' hit home personally for me, as I have been part of a family break up, via one parent being unfaithful to the other. It is very hard for kids to understand what is going on when parent's relationships are disintegrating right in front of them. I have resigned to the fact my parents will never be back together again, but this film shows that not all relationships are a lost cause as I am sure they are not. Julia Robert's role in the film was so compelling from where I see it, as she was well within her rights to be as upset as she was. Her role justifies to me, why she is a star in Hollywood today. I guess the only downer for me in this film was the language, which I found just a little slack and disturbing. Roger Ebert said in his review of the film: that Something to talk about' is the kind of film where you start out wondering how all these people are related, and end up knowing all to well'. I could not agree more, but I guess that is what you get when people start to gossip and talk!
CMRS gives Something to talk about': 4 (Very Good Film)
