Review of A Walk on the Moon (1999) by Janine M — 28 Aug 2007

Some chickish flicks for your consideration....

[b]Georgia Rule (2007) - 2.8/10[/b].

Director - Garry Marshall.

Starring - Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Garrett Hedlund, Cary Elwes.

Wow what a mess. A comedy that wants to be dramatic or a drama that wants to be funny? I don't know, it's just a mess of a movie. Lindsay Lohan plays Rachel, the spoiled, self-absorbed daughter of Lilly (Felicity Huffman) who is sent to Grandma's (Jane Fonda) house in Idaho for the summer. Grandma is religious, a bit kooky and very much set in her ways. She has no relationship with her own daughter, who is an alchoholic married to a very successful attorney (Cary Elwes). Rachel, a pathological liar, has her own dark secret. Her stepfather sexually abused her from age 12 through age 14. Or did he? Mix in Lilly's long ago boyfriend and town vet (Dermot Mulroney) and an innocent Mormon boy (Garrett Hedlund), both of whom Rachel tries to seduce and you've got a messed up film. It's hard to have sympathy for Rachel as she's so unlikable, and mother and grandmother are not much better. Anyway it's just a mess.

[b]Music and Lyrics (2007) - 6.2/10[/b].

Director - Marc Lawrence.

Starring - Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Johnston, Brad Garrett, Haley Bennett, Campbell Scott.

Hugh Grant is a washed up 80's pop star. His ex-bandmate went on to great success as a solo artist, but poor Hugh floundered. Lets' just say Hugh was Andrew Ridgley, not George Michael. Anyway now relagated to the cranival circuit, Hugh has a chance to make a comeback thanks to a Britney Spears like pop diva (Haley Bennett) who wants him to write a song. Unfortunately Hugh isn't very good with lyrics, so enter his house plant caretaker (Drew Barrymore) who is able to supply words to his music. The comeback and romance are about to take off! It's light, fluffy and agreeable, mainly due to the chemistry between the two leads. A pretty good date movie.

[b]A Walk on the Moon (1999) - 6.5/10[/b].

Director - Tony Goldwyn.

Starring - Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber, Anna Paquin, Tovah Feldshuh.

Set in 1969, Diane Lane stars as Pearl Kantrowitz[i],[/i] a thirty-something wife and mother of two kids. She became pregant as a teen and married husband Marty (Liev Schreiber), a television repairman. On a family vacation, Pearl meets the free-thinking, unhibited Walker Jerome (Viggo Mortensen) and begins a torrid affair. When teenage daughter Alison (Anna Paquin) discovers them, she must choose between family and her own sexual awakening.

A well-written story with nice performances from the three lead characters. I enjoyed the period detail, however the Woodstock scene seemed a bit forced. Overall pretty good.