One does not ENJOY this film, one endures it
The film adaptation of Michael Cunningham's novel which was,itself,a re-fitting of Virginia Woolf's "Mrs.Dalloway",is certainly not a bad enough film to be reviled,but it is hardly an enjoyable or rewarding experience.
The film is told in contrasts:1923 rural England,1951 Los Angeles and 2001(pre-9/11?)New York City. Three stories:the authoress herself(Nicole Kidman,maddeningly effective and brittle),losing her grip on herself as she lives her days in a quiet English village doing her writing;a pretty but forlorn housewife and mother(Julianne Moore,so subtle and quiet here,one fears the whole movie will pass before you know what is plaguing her)who desperately wants to make a cake for her husband's birthday;and a middle-aged poet(Meryl Streep,frayed)who frets over her dying best friend,a fellow writer(Ed HArris,who actually about steals his scenes here MHO). The stories take place over about the course of a regular day;not quite twenty four hours,about(I'm guessing)6 or 7 a.m. until about 11 p.m.,and the situations become similar,actions being in synchronicity and a couple of common threads that connect all three stories. I don't believe I'm giving TOO much away in the fact that at least three common themes seem to be interlocked into the characters:suicide,homosexuality(perceived,repressed or real)and depression.
This film is,to me,almost exclusively worthy of a look on the strength of the actors involved. Even though Kidman won her Oscar for this film,this flick is a very effective showcase for Kidman,Streep,Harris,John C.Reilly(as Moore's pleasant but oblivious husband),JAck Morello(as Moore and O'Reilly's son),Stephen Dillane(as Virginia's husband) and Toni Collette(as Moore's well-coiffed,aloof friend) give weight and impact to their performances. But this film is a tough sit-through: it stresses mood heavily,and as a result,this film is a somber meditation of lives that want to live in the present,the "Hours" of the title.
In retrospect,I'm glad I did not spend money to see this film. It would've felt like I'd been double-drained here, monetarily as well as psychologically and emotionally.
The film is told in contrasts:1923 rural England,1951 Los Angeles and 2001(pre-9/11?)New York City. Three stories:the authoress herself(Nicole Kidman,maddeningly effective and brittle),losing her grip on herself as she lives her days in a quiet English village doing her writing;a pretty but forlorn housewife and mother(Julianne Moore,so subtle and quiet here,one fears the whole movie will pass before you know what is plaguing her)who desperately wants to make a cake for her husband's birthday;and a middle-aged poet(Meryl Streep,frayed)who frets over her dying best friend,a fellow writer(Ed HArris,who actually about steals his scenes here MHO). The stories take place over about the course of a regular day;not quite twenty four hours,about(I'm guessing)6 or 7 a.m. until about 11 p.m.,and the situations become similar,actions being in synchronicity and a couple of common threads that connect all three stories. I don't believe I'm giving TOO much away in the fact that at least three common themes seem to be interlocked into the characters:suicide,homosexuality(perceived,repressed or real)and depression.
This film is,to me,almost exclusively worthy of a look on the strength of the actors involved. Even though Kidman won her Oscar for this film,this flick is a very effective showcase for Kidman,Streep,Harris,John C.Reilly(as Moore's pleasant but oblivious husband),JAck Morello(as Moore and O'Reilly's son),Stephen Dillane(as Virginia's husband) and Toni Collette(as Moore's well-coiffed,aloof friend) give weight and impact to their performances. But this film is a tough sit-through: it stresses mood heavily,and as a result,this film is a somber meditation of lives that want to live in the present,the "Hours" of the title.
In retrospect,I'm glad I did not spend money to see this film. It would've felt like I'd been double-drained here, monetarily as well as psychologically and emotionally.
- KUAlum26
- 5 mar 2006