Yesterday I saw Little Women, starring Saiorse Ronan and Florence Pugh.
It's a beloved book, but one I'll confess I always found a tad boring. That said, this film isn't boring and provides a more faithful adaptation than most that have come before it.
Greta Gerwig's casting of Ronan as the star sister, Jo, couldn't have been more spot on—the Irish actress has just enough spunk to inspire and not enough glamour to be unbelievable. Pugh as her rival sister Amy is also strong, capturing just the right amount of allure and arrogance.
I also enjoyed the performance by Laura Dern, who plays the Little Women's mother. She's warm and lively and everything she'd need to be to navigate parenting four such unique girls.
As we watch the ladies fall in and out of love, follow their passions and explore each of their unique gifts, we're reminded of author Louisa May Alcott's era when it wasn't a given women would get to 'be' what they desired. Not that it's even necessarily true now, but less so then, which is what makes their paths as writers, painters, actresses and musicians all the more miraculous.
If you loved the book, chances are you'll love this retelling. If you didn't love the book, like me you may still enjoy their charming journey.
There are worse ways to spend two hours and fifteen minutes.
~~~
Showing posts with label Laura Dern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laura Dern. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 01, 2020
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Marriage Story
On Saturday I saw Marriage Story, starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.
Charlie (Driver) and Nicole (Johansson) are a creative couple in the New York theater world, and they are divorcing. They share one son, whom they both adore, but struggle to work out the details of their new lives, though they mostly want the same things. It's a good exploration how even those with good intentions in situations like this can spiral out of control at the suggestions of others.
Like the characters toward each other, I have mixed emotions about this film.
On one hand, there are several incredible performances to note: Laura Dern, Merritt Weaver, Julie Hagerty and Ray Liotta all come to mind. They're supporting characters, but they're the folks in the film who feel real.
On the other hand, our two leads, Driver and Johansson are of course great actors and their performances here are no exception, but their delivery is nothing short of annoying (and I don't think that's their fault). I realize they're supposed to be stage actors in the film, but every one of their arguments or sad conversations is delivered as a monologue as if they were starring in a play. Instead of the raw, authentic way we see the others.
If only each scene didn't feel like a performance, I would have believed them.
~~~
Charlie (Driver) and Nicole (Johansson) are a creative couple in the New York theater world, and they are divorcing. They share one son, whom they both adore, but struggle to work out the details of their new lives, though they mostly want the same things. It's a good exploration how even those with good intentions in situations like this can spiral out of control at the suggestions of others.
Like the characters toward each other, I have mixed emotions about this film.
On one hand, there are several incredible performances to note: Laura Dern, Merritt Weaver, Julie Hagerty and Ray Liotta all come to mind. They're supporting characters, but they're the folks in the film who feel real.
On the other hand, our two leads, Driver and Johansson are of course great actors and their performances here are no exception, but their delivery is nothing short of annoying (and I don't think that's their fault). I realize they're supposed to be stage actors in the film, but every one of their arguments or sad conversations is delivered as a monologue as if they were starring in a play. Instead of the raw, authentic way we see the others.
If only each scene didn't feel like a performance, I would have believed them.
~~~
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Wild
Tonight I saw Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern.
Everyone processes grief differently: some hide and retreat for the privacy; others weep every day until their tears run dry. Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon) coped with the loss of her young mother (Dern) by having extramarital affairs and shooting heroin.
When those recreations weren't satisfying her anymore, she divorced her husband and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Oregon—completely alone. She wrote a book about her journey, which is what this film is based upon.
Of course, because she wasn't a nature enthusiast or even regular hiker, Strayed wasn't truly prepared for what was in store. She read guidebooks and bought fancy supplies at REI, but when she got to the trail, her bag was too heavy, she didn't know how to pitch a tent or use her stove properly and her shoes didn't fit. Admirably (or stupidly, depending on how you look at it), she pressed on.
She encountered everything from foxes to snakes along the trail, and with the exception of one pair of creepy men, several human beings who were nothing but kind. Watching this just may restore your confidence in humanity.
Witherspoon does a stellar job of making Strayed's pain seem authentic and her mistakes almost necessary. What judgmental folks who scoff at the path she took will overlook is that at the heart of everything, she was searching for an experience to expel the grief that she couldn't let go of in any normal scenario.
I've never lost a parent, but I have lost love in life and it took me years to recover from it because I wasn't able to completely lose myself in that grief and step outside myself to process it.
Strayed gave herself a great gift by completing her trip and she gave us a great gift by sharing that journey. More than a story of pain, it's a meditation on healing.
We could all learn a thing or two from her courage.
~~~
Everyone processes grief differently: some hide and retreat for the privacy; others weep every day until their tears run dry. Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon) coped with the loss of her young mother (Dern) by having extramarital affairs and shooting heroin.
When those recreations weren't satisfying her anymore, she divorced her husband and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Oregon—completely alone. She wrote a book about her journey, which is what this film is based upon.
Of course, because she wasn't a nature enthusiast or even regular hiker, Strayed wasn't truly prepared for what was in store. She read guidebooks and bought fancy supplies at REI, but when she got to the trail, her bag was too heavy, she didn't know how to pitch a tent or use her stove properly and her shoes didn't fit. Admirably (or stupidly, depending on how you look at it), she pressed on.
She encountered everything from foxes to snakes along the trail, and with the exception of one pair of creepy men, several human beings who were nothing but kind. Watching this just may restore your confidence in humanity.
Witherspoon does a stellar job of making Strayed's pain seem authentic and her mistakes almost necessary. What judgmental folks who scoff at the path she took will overlook is that at the heart of everything, she was searching for an experience to expel the grief that she couldn't let go of in any normal scenario.
I've never lost a parent, but I have lost love in life and it took me years to recover from it because I wasn't able to completely lose myself in that grief and step outside myself to process it.
Strayed gave herself a great gift by completing her trip and she gave us a great gift by sharing that journey. More than a story of pain, it's a meditation on healing.
We could all learn a thing or two from her courage.
~~~
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