Charms for the Easy Life

Joan Micklin Silver, the director of this film has done better before. She must have been attracted to the material. The novel was much better, as usually is the case when the adaptation is from a book and not from a short story.

The film is pleasant to watch, but it seems hollow in parts. Charlie Kate was a determined woman; she gets rid of a husband that is a waste and sets up a domestic practice to help everyone that is sick. She had an innate sense for healing, as the man who she saves from being lynched tells her at the beginning of the film.

Gena Rowlands is good as the indomitable Charlie Kate. When she has good material, this actress excels. The surprise of the film is without a doubt, Mimi Rogers, an actress that is far superior than others of her generation. Unfortunately, she doesn't get what she deserves. The rest of the cast is good too.

This is a nostalgic look of America in the early 40s.

I don't know how I missed this gem of a movie when it was first aired, but I've finally made up for that. I thought it was a terrific little film, and I liked it a lot. Gena Rowlands is superb, as usual, and the story line, though on the slow moving side, held my interest from start to finish. When I first saw it I came in at the middle, but got hooked right away, and stayed with it until the end. I just watched the complete film, today, and my opinion has not changed. Direction and cinematography wee excellent, and the performances, especially Miss Rowlands', were admirable. I felt I was a part of these ladies' lives, and I don't ask much more than that from a film. As some people say, I thought it "worth the price of admission."

I think the director and writer(s) meant well, but this film seems to fall a bit flat. Gena Rowlands is excellent as CK, however, Mimi Rogers is dreadfully overdone. The best performance of the production is Susan May Pratt as Margaret. Her youth and freshness shine through, and my interest in her life and ideas was caught. It seemed that she had far more spirit than her mother, and was more of a match for her grandmother. Though I have not read the book, I would like to.

If you can catch this film on cable, or rent the DVD, it is worth it. That being said, if it had been released in the theatre, it wouldn't have been worth the $12 admission.

I just caught Charms for an Easy Life on cable the other night and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I love Gena Rowlands anyway and she was perfectly cast as a rather grumpy, old, yet lovable, mother, grandmother and caregiver. But I was most impressed with Mimi Rogers. This was just a great vehicle for her and she shined as a middle-aged mother seeking new companionship. Susan May Pratt was cast well as the daughter of Mimi that is has a tendency to conspire with her grandmother. This was such a sweet and heartfelt story and I just ate it up. It was predictable, yes, but it was touching nonetheless. I don't think it was a ‘chick flick'. I'm not a ‘chick' and I enjoyed it. I liken it to Little Women and Emma. I believe it would be appreciated by anyone that enjoyed those titles. A real treat. My thoughts. Yours?

The movie was so sweet and brought me back to a time when people had values and integrity families were the backbone of the country.