vreelande Reviews

The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993 TV Movie)

brilliant satire disguised as made-for-tv fare

[8/10 · 12 July 2001]

Perhaps you have to be from Texas to really appreciate this movie, but I doubt it. So much Texana is covered: the bouffant, bubble hair styles, the turmoil from the refineries, and of course, the brutal ego slaughter that constitutes cheerleading tryouts in surburban Texas.

Holly Hunter gives an eerie portrayal of Wanda Holloway; my favorite scene occurs early in the film. Hunter (as Holloway) is in bed with her sugar-daddy-cum-husband, C.D., and finds an exotic Texas insect crawling up her lingerie-clad thigh. Without a trace of emotion, she slaps the insect dead with her manicured hand, and wipes away the residue with a pink Kleenex.

Each character in this film (Beau Bridges gives a wonderful turn as Wanda's former brother-in-law Terry Harper, an ex-con, born again Christian; as does Swoozie Kurtz, his fourth(?) wife, who maniacally repeats bible verses under her breath while applying oven cleaner to her calves) has some satiric peccadillo, some underside that only illustrates that Channelview, Texas, can bring out the worst in just about anyone.

The Invisible Circus (2001)

when the book is better....

[21 June 2001]

Those disappointed in the film "The Invisible Circus" would make a better investment by purchasing the novel by Jennifer Egan. Written from the perspective of eighteen-year-old Pheobe, the novel is an enchanting coming-of-age story with the added intrigue of her lost "hippie" sister.

Most of the narrative focuses on Pheobe's inner thoughts; which no doubt made translating it to the screen a difficult task. Debates on whether it is a "chick flick" are warranted; both the film and the novel center heavily on the female viewpoint.

In response to the first posted review, the paintings by Pheobe's father, Gene, are *supposed* to be awful. Part of the narrative focuses on Pheobe's realization that her father was not a sainted, thwarted artist, but an ordinary man.