Peace, Love & Misunderstanding

It does seem a shame to cast three generations of compelling actresses as a dysfunctional family and then let them drown in a sea of tired character clichés and pop psychology babble. But that's exactly what happens in director Bruce Beresford's 2012 dramedy, a touchy-feely, throwaway vehicle for Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, and Elizabeth Olsen ("Martha Marcy May Marlene"), who all try hard to rise above the broad brushstrokes that mark the superficial script by first-time screenwriters Joseph Muszynski and Christina Mengert. There isn't a single surprise that would make anyone reconsider the trite nature of the cross-generational conflict on display here, and Beresford doesn't help matters by the film's odd pacing where the basic set-up is handled in the first three minutes and then has characters go through character transformations in the most formulaic manner.

The story begins as Diane, an uptight Manhattan lawyer, is suddenly informed by her husband that he wants a divorce. Instead of discussing the matter, she packs up her two teenaged children – self-righteous vegan daughter Zoe and aspiring filmmaker son Jake – and visits her mother Grace up in Woodstock even though they haven't spoken in twenty years. Of course, Grace is Diane's exact opposite, a free spirit hippie artist, a political rabble-rouser and a successful pot dealer, so naturally conflict ensues immediately. While the perennially glum Diane glares judgmentally at Grace, both Diane and Zoe, of course, find love with local men who are their polar opposites - Diane with a laid-back carpenter and singer named Jude, Zoe with a sensitive butcher named Cole. In the meantime, Jake annoyingly videotapes life in Woodstock while crushing on a girl who works in a local coffee shop.

All the while, grandma Grace espouses spiritual bromides to everyone about how they need to live their lives to the fullest. It's a pleasure to see the 74-year-old Fonda look fit and loose-limbed as Grace even though I was getting the nagging sense she should be doing a lot more than play this dotty caricature. Playing against type, Keener seems particularly one-note as the mostly dour Diane, and some of her natural looseness as an actress would have helped bring more dimension to the role. Current indie "it girl" Olsen shows welcome moments of vulnerability that are severely blunted by Zoe's generally insufferable nature. Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("P.S. I Love You") appears to be specializing in rebound love interests, and he plays the emotionally accessible Jude with easy charm. Chace Crawford ("Gossip Girl") seems to be playing a younger version of the same male stereotype as Cole inexplicably entranced by Zoe.

Nat Wolff ("The Naked Brothers Band") provides mostly comic relief as hopelessly naïve Jake. I'm not sure why Rosanna Arquette is in the film since she's given next to nothing to do. The cinematography by Andre Fleuren nicely captures the bucolic landscape of upstate New York, but I found the original music by Spencer David Hutchings more intrusive than evocative. For his part, Beresford looks to be resuscitating key moments from Fonda's own film of parental alienation, "On Golden Pond", but a better story model would have been Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are All Right" which lent layers of emotional complexity to a family unit challenged by a lack of forgiveness. After all, outside of this formulaic film, life just isn't as groovy as Grace would have you believe.

Yes, comedy! It's a refreshing look at the culture of the 60's and the cynicism of those who look back and try to make sense of all the facets of American society that were called into question during the period. The facets still exist! Out of it comes a funny portrayal of what the confusion/clarity looked like (looks like) as people worked it out, tried to love one another, and made mistakes, as only humans can...with great intentions all firing at once. Congratulations to the director, the cast, the writers, for this delightful romp. I laughed, learned humility, and relished the human comedy that we are, now, as we try to still (once again) Love over generational lines - adult to child, etc. God Bless you for the effort - I hope those who can relax, let go, without a toke, or with, can enjoy your message for what it is - human - very funny, sometimes just plain dumb. Please do not over intellectualize it, just enjoy the darn thing! This movie actually had a kind of "Doris Day" feel to it. Delightful and simple on the surface, but underneath, lots of some good messages about healing one another. I've read what some critics have said, and I wanna say, go to church, get over yourself, calm down, just enjoy the silliness of life, be reverent - be still. Kids do it and so should we, then we will hear each other!!!!

This is a charming movie and could have been much better. Jane Fonda, of course, made it fabulous, both from an acting standpoint and just her very presence. She is amazing. Jeffery Dean Morgan stole every scene he was in, a really intelligent, kind actor. Catherine Keener is so perfectly cast, understated and vulnerable. Their relationship should have gotten more screen time and have been much more developed.

Marissa O'Donnell and Nat Wolff are both adorable here and their relationship together is very believable.

I did not like the role of Elizabeth Olsen. She is an interesting actress, but her dialogue and life experience seemed too mature for her and her relationship with the butcher felt beyond them. Their scenes together did not work and I found myself fast-forwarding through them the second time I watched it.

This movie is splendid! I had forgotten that Jane Fonda is an excellent actress. The scenery, with the landscape and vintage "props", is a wonderful reminder of the years that birthed care for the earth, inclusivity, and questioning the status quo. The story profiles the inevitable misunderstandings between generations, and the life lessons we can teach one another. Perhaps this is a movie enjoyed more by women, but many young men participated in the hippie culture, and many of today's women and men were conceived in fields of wildflowers. Although the film profiles a narrow 10-to-15-year span in our history, it provides an intimate glimpse into that era, to be enjoyed by multiple generations. I hope to see it again soon, because there was simply too much to "take in" in one viewing.

If you lack motivation or simply are looking for relaxation, you'll like Peace, Love & Misunderstanding. There is nothing groundbreaking in it, nevertheless, the cast delivers an excellent performance. It goes to the extent that even the actors that might annoy you don't bother you throughout the movie.

There is a lot of stereotyping here, but i didn't expect anything else from a romantic comedy involving hippies in Woodstock in the year 2011. Jane Fonda looks like a grandma every teenager would love to have, adorable despite all the escapades. She was the only reason i saw Peace, Love & Misunderstanding and i liked the way Barbarella had aged...