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Feminine
Frailties:
Narcissism.
BY
LOIS WADSWORTH
LOVELY AND AMAZING: Written
and directed by Nicole Holofcener. Produced by Anthony Bregman, Eric
d'Arbeloff, Ted Hope. Executive producers, Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente,
Michael Kafka. Cinematography, Harlan Bosmajian. Editor, Rob Frazen.
Composer, Craig Richey. Music supervisor, Amy Rosen. Production design,
Devorah Herbert. Costumes, Vanessa Vogel. Starring Catherine Keener,
Brenda Blethyn, Emily Mortimer and Raven Goodwin, with Dermot Mulroney,
Jake Gyllenhaal and James Legros. Lions Gate Films, 2002. R.
91 minutes.
 |
|
SHE'S
LOVELY AND AMAZING BUT DOESN'T BELIEVE IT. KEVIN (DERMOT MULRONEY)
AND ELIZABETH (EMILY MORTIMER) IN THE SACK.
|
Another great little movie, Lovely and Amazing
is primarily a picture women will like more than men; but men won't
feel as totally peripheral as in Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.
There's no secret club here that binds Elizabeth Marks (Emily Mortimer),
Jane Marks (Brenda Blethyn), Michelle Marks (Catherine Keener) and
Annie Marks (Raven Goodwin), just family. Jane is the mother, Elizabeth
and Michelle the grown daughters, and 8-year-old Annie is Jane's recently
adopted black daughter.
The family flaw is that none of them is satisfied
with the way she looks, which is really pretty terrific. Jane opts
for liposuction and a few tucks here and there, but her hospital experience
turns nasty. She's great in her relationship with Annie but also in
her even-handed treatment of her grown daughters.
Elizabeth doubts she's beautiful enough to make it
as a movie actress, although she's as skinny as any model on the runway.
She's the most "normal" one in the bunch, but she's pretty fixed on
her imaginary physical failures.
Michelle's neurosis includes defensiveness about her
artistic abilities as well as her looks, and she's the least likable
character. A real whiner, she makes her husband, Bill (Clark Gregg),
crazy with time-consuming but unprofitable art projects. She turns
the natural childbirth of their daughter (who hardly figures in the
film at all) into a story she tells in inappropriate situations. Resentful,
sarcastic and sexually unsatisfied, Michelle is a pushover for her
earnest 17-year-old boss, Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), at the one-hour
photo shop.
Michelle and Elizabeth fret over spunky little Annie's
pudgy figure and her insatiable appetite for French fries and burgers,
but Annie has other problems. A crack addict birth mother means Annie's
self-esteem is not real high. Her variation of the Marks' family curse
is to wear heavy eye makeup to school and act out in the swimming
pool, going underwater and holding her breath until she scares the
daylights out of her sisters. She's a little gem.
Although each character sounds like a mess on paper,
on screen they are engaging and real. Writer/director Nicole Holofcener
(Walking and Talking) writes natural sounding dialogue and
directs her actors so that their character's angst is revealed in
an off-hand manner that seems credible.
The men have largely thankless roles (such a nice
switch from the usual gender bias in movies), although Dermot Mulroney
gets the best, a self-absorbed television star named Kevin McCabe.
Elizabeth auditions with McCabe for a role on his show, where he shows
his true colors in an hilarious love scene. James Le Gros plays Elizabeth's
boyfriend, Paul, a dull, passive-aggressive nerd.
A film about the lives of women that subverts most
movie conventions about what women really want, it succeeds despite
never telling us exactly what that is. A movie for the insecure girl
in all of us, Lovely and Amazing is a hoot. Highly recommended,
even if it fails to complete what could be called a narrative-arc.
Opens at the Bijou Friday, Sept. 6.
Opening
or Returning:
City By the Sea:
Robert De Niro plays a detective looking for his estranged son (James
Franco). Also stars Frances McDormand. Tag: "When you're searching
for a killer the last suspect you want to see is your son." Directed
by Michael Caton Jones, based on a true story from Esquire
by Michael Mallory. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Eight Legged Freaks: Stars David Arquette,
Scarlett Johansson and others in this campy sci-fi movie about really
big, poisonous, mutating spiders. "Let the squashing begin!" PG-13.
Movies 12.
Lovely and Amazing: Catherine Keener, Brenda
Blethyn, Emily Mortimer and Raven Goodwin star in Nicole Holofcener's
comedy about a family of women (and one girl) who're dissatisfied
with their looks. Also stars Dermot Mulroney, Jake Gyllenhaal and
James Legros as the men who do or don't put up with them. Highly recommended.
R. Bijou. See review this issue.
Rookie, The: Dennis Quaid stars as a baseball
coach who makes a deal with his team and ends up trying out for a
minor league contract. Also with Rachel Griffiths. A good-hearted
movie about going for your dreams. G. Movies 12.
Spider Man: Tobey Maguire stars in Sam Raimi's
film and makes Spidey a comic book superhero we can all appreciate.
Also stars Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, Kirsten Dunst as the
girl, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris and J.K. Simmons.
Highly recommended. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives.
Swimfan: Fatal Attraction for teens
— just what they need! Romantic attachment of swimmer Jesse
Bradford and his sweetheart Shiri Appleby gets blown apart by the
new girl and obsessive fan, Erika Christensen. PG-13. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication
unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com.
Continuing:
Again Kiss Again: Art romance
video locally produced and directed by David Koteen, made with all
local cast and crew. Stars Meagan Orion and Ben Fogelson. NR. 7 &
9 pm on 9/5 & 9/6 at WOW Hall. $5. Online archives.
Austin Powers in Goldmember: If the
third time is charmed, here is Mike Myers, back in multiple roles
as Austin Powers. Michael Caine plays his secret-agent dad and Beyoncé
Knowles is Foxxy Cleopatra. Directed by Jay Roach. PG-13. Cinemark.
Online archives.
Bad Company: The unlikely duo of
Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock in a spy action/comedy. Directed by
Joel Schumacher, it also stars Peter Stormare and Kerry Washington.
PG-13. Movies 12.
Blood Work: Clint Eastwood's film adaptation
of a sensational crime novel by Michael Connelly stars Eastwood as
a retired FBI agent with a heart condition who chases down a serial
killer. Connelly's book lends itself to the Eastwood treatment. Also
stars Anjelica Huston, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesus, Paul Rodriguez.
R. Cinema World. Online archives.
Blue Crush: Directed by John Stockwell, this
romantic surfer adventure stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez
(Girlfight) and Matthew Davis. PG-13. Cinemark.
Bourne Identity, The: Matt Damon, Franka Potente,
Chris Cooper, Clive Owen and Brian Cox star in Doug Liman's character-based
spy thriller based on Robert Ludlum's best seller. A man with amnesia
(Matt Damon) sets out to discover who he is and why everyone wants
to kill him, and along the way he discovers love (Franka Potente).
A subtle skewing of the genre, it's highly recommended. PG-13. Movies
12. Online archives.
Country Bears, The: An 11-year old bear decides
to reunite his favorite bear rock ban for a benefit concert. Musical
performances or appearances by Don Henley, John Hiatt, Elton John,
Queen Latifah, Willie Nelson,. Bonnie Raitt and Brian Setzer. G. Movies
12.
Crocodile Hunter, Collision Course: In this
comedy of errors, undercover CIA agents suspect Steve and Terri Irwin
of information theft and go to Australia to prove it. PG. Movies 12.
Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood: Sandra
Bullock plays a NY playwright who'd like to keep some distance from
her eccentric mother, played by Ellen Burstyn. Also Fionnula Flanagan,
Shirley Knight, Maggie Smith and Ashley Judd. Made for women and girls
to enjoy. Leave the men at home. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives.
Fear Dot Com: Thriller/horror flick stars Stephen
Dorff, Natascha McElhone and Stephen Rea. Includes grisly images of
torture; nudity; violence. No one under 17 admitted. R. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Good Girl, The: Jennifer Aniston, Zooey Deschanel,
Jake Gyllenhaal, John C. Reilly, Tim Blake Nelson and Mike White star
in Michael Arteta's blue collar romantic comedy. Highly recommended,
despite its flawed ending. R. Bijou. Online archives.
Insomnia: Christopher Nolan (Memento)
explores sleep deprivation in this remake of a 1998 thriller from
Norway. Set in Alaska, it stars Al Pacino and Robin Williams, Hilary
Swank, Martin Donovan, Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt and Paul Dooley.
Highly recommended thriller. R. Movies 12. Online archives.
Lilo and Stitch: Animated Disney comedy about
Lilo, a lonely Hawaiian girl, and her small, ugly dog named Stitch.
The dog is an alien experiment that's crashed to earth. Six by Elvis
on the soundtrack. PG. Cinemark.
Men in Black 2: Jay (Will Smith) drags a reluctant
Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) back into the agency with the mission of "Protecting
the earth from the scum of the universe." Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld,
it also stars Lara Flynn Boyle as Serleena, an alien masquerading
as a Victoria's Secret model. With Rosario Dawson, Johnny Knoxville,
Tony Shalhoub and Rip Torn. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online
archives.
Minority Report: Steven Spielberg directs Tom
Cruise in this sci-fi where killers are arrested and convicted before
they commit murder. In 2054, Cruise heads the Pre-Crime unit until
he's accused of the murder of a man he hasn't yet met. Based on a
short story by the genre's master, Philip K. Dick. One of Spielberg
and Cruise's best. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Monsters Inc.: From Pixar, the creators of
Toy Story, comes a new computer-animated feature about a scare
factory, Monsters Inc., and its top monster, Sulley (voice of John
Goodman). Also voices of Billy Crystal, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly,
Steve Buscemi and Mary Gibbs. G. Movies 12. Online archives.
Mr. Deeds: Adam Sandler plays an
ordinary guy who inherits $40 billion in this remake of Frank Capra's
1936 comedy, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Also stars Winona Ryder,
Peter Gallagher, Steve Buscemi, Jared Harris and John Turturro. PG-13.
Movies 12.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Based on Nia Vardalos's
one-woman stage show, it's about the 30-year old, unmarried daughter
(Vardalos) in an engaging, passionate but demanding Greek family in
New York. She meets the man she wants to marry (John Corbett), and
he isn't Greek. Yikes! Another humorous reminder that weddings are
also a family and community affair, this sweet romantic comedy entertains.
Recommended. PG. Bijou. Cinemark. Online archives.
Possession: Adapted from A.S. Byatt's 1990
novel, Neil LaBute's new film is a romance starring Gwyneth Paltrow
and Aaron Eckhart as scholars who discover a secret romance between
two great Victorian poets, played by Jennifer Ehle and Jeremy Northam.
PG-13. Cinema World.
Reign of Fire: After a slumbering fire-breathing
critter wakes up, all hell breaks loose, and the world descends into
Medieval times. Matthew McConaughey comes as savior, Christian Bale
is fire chief. Rob Bowman directs. Violent. PG-13. Movies 12.
Road to Perdition: Sam Mendes (American
Beauty) directs this fathers-and-sons drama set in Chicago during
the Depression. It stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Tyler Hoechlin, with
Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci and Liam
Aiken. R. Cinema World. Online archives.
Scooby Doo: TV's 1969 Great Dane, Scooby, returns
as a computer-generated detective dog in this comedy starring Freddie
Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Matthew Lillard. PG. Movies
12.
Serving Sara: Matthew Perry. Elizabeth Hurley
and Bruce Campbell star in Reginald Hudlin's romantic comedy. Also
stars Cedric the Entertainer and Vincent Pastore. PG-13. Cinemark.
Signs: Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
and starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, this supernatural thriller
about crop circles looks like a box-office bonanza. Also stars Rory
Culkin and Abigail Breslin. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Simone: Writer, director Andrew Niccol
(Gattaca) has high hopes for his new comedy, which stars Al
Pacino, Catherine Keener Jay Mohr, Jason Schwartzman and Pruitt Taylor
Vince. Pacino creates a synthetic star — Simone. She becomes
successful, then everyone wants to meet her. PG-13. Cinemark.Online
archives.
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams: Robert Rodriguez
says his sequel has lots of action, is fun and nobody dies. Stars
Antonio Banderas, Daryl Sabara and Alexa Vega. Cinemark.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: George Lucas'
second of three Star Wars' prequels comes to the screen with
Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid
and Samuel Jackson doing all the heavy lifting. PG. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Sum of All Fears: Ben Affleck and
Morgan Freeman are Central Intelligence agents trying to prevent terrorists
from getting weapons of mass destruction. Also stars James Crowmell,
Liev Schreiber, Alan Bates and Philip Baker Hall. Based on Tom Clancy's
bestseller. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives.
XXX: Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson star
in this athletic spy thriller directed by Rob Cohen. Sony is betting
big on this "Vin Diesel film" to become the next hot franchise. PG-13.
Cinemark.
MOVIE
THEATERS
Use the links provided below for specific show times.
Bijou
Art Cinemas
Bijou Theater 686-2458
| 492 E. 13th
Regal
Cinemas
Cinema World 342-6536
| Valley River Center
Springfield Quad 726-9073
|
Cinemark
Theaters
Movies 12 741-1231
| Gateway Mall
Movies before 12:30 are Sat. Sun. only. $1.50 all shows all days.
Cinemark 17 741-1231 |
Gateway Mall
New
Releases on Video
Releases subject to change. Available
the Tuesday following date of EW publication, sometimes
sooner. See archived movie reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
Alec Guiness Collection, The: Reissued
in this DVD special are some of the best of this great British comedic
actor from the 1950s and early '60s: The Lavender Hill Mob,
The Man in the White Suit, Kind Hearts and Coronets
and The Lady Killers.
Changing Lanes: Starring Ben Affleck and Samuel
L. Jackson as, two men who meet in a minor car accident and set out
to destroy each other's lives. Directed by Roger Mitchell and produced
by Scott Rudin. R.
CQ: Roman Coppola's 2002 spoof of filmmakers
such as Roman Polanski, Dino de Laurentis, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc
Godard never played Eugene. The New York Times review said:
"Mr. Coppola extends an invitation to audiences to join his retro
love-in, to become helplessly caught in the thrall of a dazed sexiness
reminiscent of 60's pop ... Don't fight the undertow. Go along with
it."Stars Jeremy Davies, Giancarlo Giannini,
Billy Zane. Lots of extras on DVD. R.
Count of Monte Cristo, The: Alexandre Duma's
classic tale of wrongful imprisonment and revenge stars Jim Caviezel,
Dagmara Dominczyk, Guy Pearce and Richard Harris. Scenes in prison
are the film's best; much else is overblown. PG-13. Online archives.
Red Curtain Trilogy of Baz Luhrmann, The: Boxed
DVD special 5-disc set includes director's cuts and special editions
of Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet. Also includes
Strictly Ballroom and Behind the Red Curtain.
Salton Sea, The: 2002 crime thriller about
meth freaks never played Eugene. Stars Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio,
Peter Sarsgaard, Anthony La Paglia and Deborah Kara Unger. The
New York Times called it "a grim, druggy nightmare of a film set
in the Los Angeles demimonde of methamphetamine users and dealers."
R.
Next week: Death to Smoochy, Flirting (1991), Frailty,
Kissing Jessica Stein, Koyaanisqatsi/Powaqqatsi, The Moderns, Monsters
Inc., Panic Room, the Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) and Valmont
(1989)
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