The Patron Saint of Liars

Another voice added to the comment choir. This is a pretty awful movie that allows one to wander the house, do laundry, read a book (even the book upon which the movie is based) and still be bored with it (the movie that is). Add my vote to those who hated the lead character. She isn't presented as a patron saint but more of an excellent liar and fairly worthless character. People like Rose may have a few screws loose or lost but whatever the reason for her behavior, I can't work up the empathy to care. Gist of review: Sticking with this movie is like watching the wrong shade of paint dry on your walls so you can finally repaint with a better color. Fortunately, viewers can avoid the wait by just changing the channel.

After reading the Patron Saint of Liars, I could not wait to watch the movie. They ruined it by trying to make a happy ending. The whole point of the book was to show us how some people just can never face life. The reason I loved the book was because for days you thought about Rose, what made her run away from her first life, what made her run away from her second life. You wondered what ever happened to her. This is the problem with Hollywood and why I like Foreign films better. They show life as it really is. Not a neatly tied up ending with, gag me, the healing spring suddenly sprouting forth again, everyone hugging and loving one another again. The book was so much better than the film.

**this review may contain a minor spoiler that is not important to the plot of the movie**

I didn't really get this movie. I couldn't understand the main character and what made her do the things she did. It was an interesting story and I think I was enjoying it as I was watching it, but thinking about it, it didn't really make any sense to me. Why did she run away in the first place? I thought eventually we'd get some sort of backstory like her husband abused her or her father abandoned her or something, you know? But all we find out is that her father died when she was very young. I think they could have taken this whole movie to another level by revealing what made her tick. Why did she keep everybody at a distance? I felt like we should have been able to get inside her head and we were never let in. I also wanted to know the significance of the healing spring. I thought they could have taken that metaphor further. I would have enjoyed the movie more if that were the case.

Ann Patchett's book is much better but as movie adaptations go this is fine. It is worth watching just to see the great Sada Thompson as Sister Evangeline. That doesn't mean the other actors aren't fine it is just that Sada stands out. People may wonder why Dana Delaney sets off for Kentucky. I read the book so long ago I don't know if this was gone into. There is also fine work from Clancy Brown who plays Mr. Niceguy. A far cry from the demonic minister he played on two seasons of HBO'S CARNIVALE. The featured players are good too. Filmed on location in North Carolina which probably comes close to Kentucky where the story takes place. Read the book and watch the movie and see why Sada Thompson is one of America's finest actresses.

Well, it's a typical, melodramatic chick-flick with overdone performances, the film does have a good cast with Dana Delany, Marisa Ribisi, Ellen Burstyn, and Clancy Brown. Stephen Gyllenhaal's direction isn't bad since he does offer some excellent scenery and poignant moments in the film.

Fans of Maggie though will see her in the 2nd half of the film as a friend of Delany's daughter for about 5-7 minutes in a standout performance as a pregnant teen with multiple ear piercings and bad light blonde dye hair. It's a good film about a woman questioning her Catholic faith while living in a Catholic retreat home for pregnant women while looking for love and understanding.