I Don’t Know How She Does It

Posted on September 16, 2011 at 8:21 am

This film takes the most wrenching and universal dilemma of family life and turns it into a sitcom-y love letter to Sarah Jessica Parker. Not the character she plays, the whippet-thin, stiletto-wearing financial whiz with the adorably mussed hair, but the actress herself, whose appeal as a performer continues to diminish in direct proportion to her increasing need to make us love her and expectation that we must. Carrie has been very bad for SJP.

Parker plays Kate Reddy (the names are thuddingly on the nose here), a Boston mom of two, married to an architect (winningly played by Greg Kinnear), and trying hard to cope with both the intensely competitive professionals at the office (Olivia Munn and “SNL’s” Seth Meyers play work-obsessed underminers) and the even more intensely competitive stay-at-home moms (one asks plaintively whether a birthday cake is made with organic flour and another sighs sweetly and explains that she just couldn’t allow anyone else to raise her children as she spends all day at the gym). These are cheap shot caricatures with little wit and less heart. If the film had a smidgen of sympathy for anyone else in the story or any convincing moment with Kate and her children when they were awake it would not ring so hollow. It’s hard to connect to a character who is feeling judged when her point of view is itself so petty and judgmental. Even Kate’s one friend (a dishy Christina Hendricks) cannot be permitted to be at Kate’s level. She’s a single working mother, so points off for her.

Kate and her husband both get their professional opportunities of a lifetime and shift into higher gear, missing their son’s first haircut and neglecting his delayed speech and a dangerous hole in the carpet on the stairs. Up all night making lists that never end, Kate promises everything to everyone and discovers that sometimes jugglers drop all the balls at once. Sometimes you get a call to fly out of town for a big meeting in the middle of Thanksgiving. And sometimes you get the message that your child has lice just as you walk into the big meeting. Infestation turns out to be just an opportunity to dish at the delousing salon with a friend (compare that to the more realistic hazmat treatment of the same problem in last year’s “The Change-Up”), another example of the gap between the way this film makes everything about Parker, I mean Kate.

I understand that motherhood seems fresh and new and unfairly not communicated about properly for each new generation of women who wonder how they got from the snarky authenticity of their post-college years to searching for a presentable outfit that (1) has no spills or spit-up on it and (2) fits (this is a problem grey-hound thin and beginning to look stringy SJP does not have). It will feel a bit stale to anyone who has either lived through it or seen any sitcom or family comedy of the last decade. Even the derided “Motherhood” with Uma Thurman felt more authentic than this. A mis-sent email with a crude joke? That’s so 2008. And when Kate’s colleague (Pierce Brosnan) starts signing his emails “XO” and, despite her denials, Kate just manages to keep all those balls in the air to the breathless admiration of even those who once failed to appreciate her, we can’t help feeling that we do know that in fact she doesn’t do it very well.

(more…)

Contest: Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin and More

Posted on September 13, 2011 at 3:58 pm

I’m very excited to have a gorgeous DVD box set from the Scholastic Storybook series, my very favorite family DVDs to give away. And this one is really special, with three different collections that will inspire children to use their imaginations and explore the world of artistic expression through music, painting, sculpture, dance, and theater.

It includes: Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and more stories for young musicians.

ZIN! ZIN! ZIN! A VIOLIN (Written by Lloyd Moss, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman, music by Marvin Hamlisch) A lonesome trombone is joined by various instruments, one by one, to form a chamber group of ten.

MUSICAL MAX (Written by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey, narrated by Mary Beth Hurt) Max stops playing music when his neighbors complain about the noise. What will he do instead?

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER (Illustrated by Peter Spier, sung by Aretha Franklin) Aretha Franklin lends her soulful voice to this moving rendition of our national anthem.

KEEPING HOUSE (Written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Wendy Smith) Songwriter Lizzie Firkin would rather sing and dance than do chores. What if people think she s lazy or sloppy?

PATRICK (Written and illustrated by Quentin Blake) When Patrick plays his violin, the most unusual things start to happen; fish can fly, cows can dance, and trees grow cakes!

APT. 3 (Written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, narrated by Charles Turner) Intrigued by the sounds of a harmonica, two brothers set off on a search to find the musician in an old tenement building.

And The Dot and more stories for young artists, with:

THE DOT (Written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, narrated by Thora Birch) A mark can change everything. Vashti thinks she can’t draw, but when she explores her imagination she discovers her own creativity.

ART (Written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, narrated b Bobby McFerrin) Words are at the tip of a paintbrush. A picture can really be worth a thousand words.

ISH (Written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, narrated by Chester Gregory) Ramon is discouraged when his older brother makes fun of his drawings. How will he get his confidence back?

NORMAN THE DOORMAN (Written and illustrated by Don Freeman, narrated by Katherine Kellgren) Norman the Door Mouse secretly enters a sculpture competition at the art museum. Will he win?

WALLACE’S LISTS (Written by Barbara Bottner and Gerald Kruglik, illustrated by Olof Landstrom, narrated by Zach Braff) Wallace, a mouse who loves life by lists, meets a spontaneous, artistic new neighbor named Albert. He soon discovers how enchanting life can be without his lists.

And it has Shrinking Violet and more stories for young performers, which includes:

SHRINKING VIOLET (Written by Cari Best, illustrated by Giselle Potter, narrated by Calista Flockhart) This beautiful story about self-confidence shows us what happens when the shyest girl in school gets the lead part in the play.

THREE CHEERS FOR CATHERINE THE GREAT! (Written by Cari Best, illustrated by Giselle Potter, narrated by Ekaterina Gordeeva) This is the tale of Sara s feisty Russian grandmother and her birthday celebration with no presents from everyone. What will the no presents be?

GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE (Written by Giles Andreae, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees, narrated by Billy Dee Williams) Gerald the Giraffe just wants to dance! Everyone else at the Jungle Dance seems to be a better dancer. Maybe with a little encouragement he ll be the best of all!

AMAZING GRACE (Written by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch, narrated by Alfre Woodard) Her classmates discourage Grace from trying out for the part of Peter Pan because she’s black and a girl. She tries out anyway and wins the part! This is one of my very favorite books, read by one of my very favorite actresses.

Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Zin!” in the subject line and tell me your favorite form of artistic expression. Don’t forget to include your address. I’ll pick one winner at random on September 18. Good luck!

Seven Days in Utopia

Posted on September 1, 2011 at 6:38 pm

Sports psychologist David L. Cook wrote a book called Seven Days in Utopia: Golf’s Sacred Journey about a young golfer who runs away after a meltdown at a big tournament, gets stuck in a small town, and meets a mentor who was once a champion and teaches him important lessons that he takes with him back to the next competition.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like Cars?

It’s still a good story. And I give Cook and co-writer/director Matthew Dean Russell credit for avoiding some of the usual sports-as-metaphor details. They refrained from making their main character spoiled or hot-headed. Even more unusually, they refrained from making his father a monster. Both are well-intentioned but misguided. This eliminates the easiest routes to dramatic intensity but demonstrates a confidence in the characters that is most welcome. It would be too much to say that adds subtlety to the story. This story is not subtle in any way; its biggest failing is that it does not trust its audience enough. It hammers its points home and then does it a few more times, and then a few more, just to make sure. If only the filmmakers had trusted their audience as much as the movie’s teacher trusts his student.

Lucas Black (“Cold Mountain,” “Friday Night Lights“), who co-produced, plays Luke Chislom, a young golfer who has been driven all his life by his father. When they get into an argument on a crucial shot in an important competition, Luke’s father walks off the course and Luke snaps his club in half and runs away.

Swerving to avoid a cow in the road, Luke crashes his car into a fence in the small town of Utopia, Texas. While the car is being repaired, a local rancher named Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall) offers to give him some golf lessons to help him “find his game.” In true Mr. Miyagi “wax on, wax off” fashion, many of these lessons do not involve hitting a golf ball with a golf club. They are lessons about focus, faith, patience, confidence, and grace. They have Luke pitching washers, taking the controls of a plane, painting a picture, and literally burying the lies that hold him back. And there’s a pretty girl in town who is training to be horse whisperer and seems to know something about whispering golfers as well.

Black is an engaging performer and he and Duvall have an easy, natural quality together and many scenes have a refreshingly quiet quality, not so much of volume but from a spirit of humility and sincerity. Luke is a good kid, open to learning but not naive, and the film will reward those who are willing to give it a chance.

(more…)

Higher Ground

Posted on August 25, 2011 at 10:36 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated R for some language and sexual content
Profanity:	Some very strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking, drugs
Violence/ Scariness:	Characters in peril, very sad illness and disability
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	August 26, 2011
Amazon.com ASIN:	B004Z29X1Q

Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” “The Departed”) directed and stars in “Higher Ground,” the true story of a woman’s spiritual journey, based on Higher Ground: A Memoir of Salvation Found and Lost by Carolyn S. Briggs.

It is a rare film about faith that is sincere and respectful in its appreciation for believers and those who struggle to find a connection with God. We first see Corinne as a little girl in church, shyly raising her hand when the preacher (Bill Irwin) asks the children to close their eyes and put their hands up if this is the day they will open their hearts to Jesus. As a teenager (played by Farmiga’s younger sister, Taissa), she becomes pregnant and marries her musician boyfriend. After a near-death experience, he becomes a believer and they join a community of Christians who live simply and support each other. Corinne’s closest relationship is with her friend Annika (Dagmara Dominczyk), and is inspired by Annika’s ability to be passionate in all of her relationships, including her connection to the Almighty.

Corinne struggles to find that kind of passionate transcendence, but she feels constrained when her preacher’s wife gently chides her for impinging on worship that is reserved for men and for wearing a dress that shows her shoulders. She prays for a certainty and completeness in faith that she sees around her but cannot achieve. Just as her husband’s faith is cemented by a tragedy averted, hers is tested to the breaking point by a loss she cannot understand.

As a director, Farmiga allows us to share privileged moments with Corinne and the other characters and as an actress, she glows with the humility and honesty of her seeking. Her quest, which clearly is continuing as she stands on the threshold at the end of the film (and as we know she will go on to write her book) is itself a form of prayer, as is this movie, a reaching out for understanding and and openness that makes faith a continual source of renewal.

(more…)

The Hedgehog

Posted on August 18, 2011 at 6:59 pm

B-

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Not rated
Profanity:	None
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking, smoking
Violence/ Scariness:	Shocking and very sad death
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters, class prejudice
Date Released to Theaters:	August 19, 2011

It’s hard to imagine a less cinematic novel than The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Author Muriel Barbery is a professor of philosophy, and the book reads more like a series of essays than a story. What made it work was the way Barbery created engaging voices for the two characters considering all those abstruce and arcane philosophical and literary concepts. The movie gives us those characters without the ideas. It is pleasant enough but it is like a frame without a picture.

The two characters, a middle-aged woman and an 11-year-old girl, barely know one another but they have three important things in common. They live in the same building. They are both autodidacts with prodigious intelligence. And both are invisible to everyone around them. Renee (Josiane Balasko) is the building’s concierge. No one pays any attention to her unless they need something and that is fine with her. She has a hidden room filled with books and her inner life is rich and satisfying. The husband who may not have understood her but truly appreciated her has died. She has just one friend, a warm-hearted woman who has no idea that Renee has read more than most college professors. Paloma (Garance Le Guillermic) feels so isolated by the superficial concerns of everyone in her family that she cooly decides to kill herself on her 13th birthday.

The way that these two discover each other and the sweetness of their friendship is touching. Balasko and Le Guillermic bring a lot of intelligence and sensitivity to their performances. Togo Igawa is lovely as Mr. Ozu, a new resident of the building, but his character is too perfect a Prince Charming to make his relationship with Renee meaningful. And, as with the book, the ending is jarring and unearned. Without the depth of the book, it seems like an arty Hallmark movie.