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RoxanneFoxx
Reviews
Anywhere But Here (1999)
Two Great Performances & One Mediocre Movie
"And when my mother dies, the world will be flat. Too simple, too fair, too reasonable!"
Directed by Wayne Wang, "Anywhere But Here" takes us into the world of Adele August, the carefree high school teacher who leaves her family and home behind in Wisconsin and moves to California along with her teenage daughter, Anne, in hope of a luxury life. Unlike her, Anne is not so happy about these big changes...
This movie is all about struggling - a young girl who desperately wants to leave her mother and start her own life and a single mother who takes life easier than she should but wants the best in the world. The main problem with this movie is that it never tries to show us anything more than these two women arguing, it's full of scenes that have no point other than telling us over and over that this mother and daughter cannot really stand one another. It never gives them the chance to change - by the end of the movie, Ann and Adele are still the same expect that they now argue a little less. The next, smaller problem is the presence of side characters that have no role but to highlight the flaws and misery of the lead. Benny, Ann's cousin, is just there to emphasize her sadness of being forced to leave home even more. Ted (Adele's second husband), Josh Spritzer and Jack Irwin all just show how Adele can never settle for a nice man and start a normal life. Weak screenplay and uninspired directing are to blame for these problems.
Despite the movie itself, the acting is professional and solid. Adele August - the movie wants you to hate her but Susan Sarandon handles her role with such energy and skill that you just can't. Inatead of easily portraying her as a mindless maniac, Susan puts humanity in her character. She portrays Adele as a carefree, irresponsible mother who's still in love with her daughter and is ready to do anything for her. Natalie Portman is flawless at such a young age. At just 17 and so early in her career, she's able to play such challenging character so masterfully. She doesn't let her portrayal of the wise Ann get boring or annoying by adding vulnerability and need whenever it's suitable. The chemistry between Susan and Natalie is so intense and realistic that has the ability to carry the movie on its own.
"Anywhere But Here" is a movie that is brave enough to explore the complicated world of mother-daughter relationship but fails to depict it effectively. However, the perfect performances of its lead actresses save it at most parts.
Where the Heart Is (2000)
A Rather Sweet, Full of Cliché Comedy/Drama
"Home is where your history begins. Home is where they catch you when you fall."
Based on an acclaimed novel by Billie Letts, the Comedy/Drama "Where The Heart Is" tells us the story of Novalee Nation; the superstitious, seventeen-year-old, seven-month pregnant girl who has an irrational fear of number "5". On their way to California, she gets left behind by her boyfriend at a Wal-Mart somewhere in Oklahoma. And this is where Novalee's full of ups and downs journey begins.
Adapting a novel to a movie is indeed hard, specially one which deals with human feelings and relationships. You cannot tell a 4-hundred-page story in a 120-minute movie unless you take only the most important parts and add them to each other. As a result, what you will most probably get is a movie that does not let either its characters or its scenes fully develop thus be believed. This is, unfortunately, what happens to "Where The Heart Is".
The movie starts rather interestingly and is able to keep its charm till around 40 minutes of its runtime but after Novalee gives birth to her baby, the movie seems to get dull and even somewhat boring. Many scenes could be omitted and still no harm would be done to the main story. Even worse, this movie is full of characters that do not show the essential emotions in certain situations. Like when Novalee gets left behind by Willy Jack, she never shows any real sorrow, worry or devastation. The process of her growing up from a naive, teenager to a single, independent mother is rushed and somewhat unbelievable. We never see her develop any feelings for Forney or start seeing him as someone more than a friend. Willy Jack is lazily shown to be haunted by Novalee's memory after he leaves her but he does not get to fully show his remorse of leaving her only until the very end of the movie. And there's Lexie, she is shown dating again right after a horrible tragedy that would haunt anyone for months if not years. It is understandable that the producers purposely left out the "deep, sad theme" to keep the happy, lightheaded vibes but in this case, it would've been better if they had let the characters and the scenes carry some deep emotions.
The acting is nice overall. Natalie Portman (who at the time of this movie's production was almost as young as her character) does a good job portraying a single, teenage mom and her maturing as her daughter grows up. She's sweet and lovely and you enjoy watching her change from a naive girl to an independent woman. Ashley Judd could arguably be better. Although her character is a silly woman who falls for every single man she lays her eyes on, she could still handle it better and put more depth into it. It's almost impossible to take her character seriously even after the tragedy she and her children go through. Stockard Channing gave a nice, solid performance as the caring, kind Sister Husband - she's so likable. Joan Cusack was incredibly awesome as the moody Ruth Meyers - she absolutely deserved more screen time. James Frain did a nice job as Forney Hull - you feel for his character, his passion and his dedication. Dylan Bruno surprisingly makes a wrongdoer jerk easy to watch and Keith David is noticeably good despite his short screen time.
To wrap it up, "Where The Heart Is" is a flawed but sweet movie that celebrates kindness, humanity and sacrifice for others. The nice performances of its cast, its beautiful scenery and the always-present, familiar clichés make it a rather nice choice if you're into this kind of "feel-good" movies.