It's 1923 Mississippi. A blown dam upriver kills several people and causes extensive damage. Fisher Willow (Bryce Dallas Howard) returns to Memphis from Europe to find her father much hated for that selfish act to save his own property. She's sassy, self-obsessed, and has no one to take to come out to Memphis society. She decides to clean up longtime workhand Jimmy Dobyne (Chris Evans) to accompany her. He's a grandson to a former governor although his father (Will Patton) is a drunk and his mother is in an asylum. She borrows family heirloom diamond earrings from her aunt. She is ostracized at the party. Only her friend Julie (Mamie Gummer) invites her to a Halloween party. Fisher loses an earring on the walk up to Julie's party. Julie's cousin Vinnie (Jessica Collins) takes an immediate dislike to Fisher and a liking to Jimmy. Julie's aunt Miss Addie (Ellen Burstyn) is bedridden from her opium use in Hong Kong.
Everybody is acting bad which is fine but nobody is doing it convincingly. It's a long forgotten Tennessee Williams script and I'm not sure if it shouldn't stay that way. At least, this production does nothing to enhance it. I can overlook Howard's overacting because her character is overacting. On the other hand, I don't get Jimmy's harsh understanding of Fisher's question. It comes out of nowhere and he over-reacts out of proportion. In the end, I ship Jimmy and Vinnie far more than Jimmy and Fisher. The chemistry of Jimmy-Vinnie is already good but Jimmy-Fisher has several bad starts. Not every Tennessee diamond is flawless but even in this rough one, there are moments of beauty.
Everybody is acting bad which is fine but nobody is doing it convincingly. It's a long forgotten Tennessee Williams script and I'm not sure if it shouldn't stay that way. At least, this production does nothing to enhance it. I can overlook Howard's overacting because her character is overacting. On the other hand, I don't get Jimmy's harsh understanding of Fisher's question. It comes out of nowhere and he over-reacts out of proportion. In the end, I ship Jimmy and Vinnie far more than Jimmy and Fisher. The chemistry of Jimmy-Vinnie is already good but Jimmy-Fisher has several bad starts. Not every Tennessee diamond is flawless but even in this rough one, there are moments of beauty.