Review of Anywhere but Here (1999) by Alice D — 06 Aug 2004

Best in Show: Susan Sarandon.

One for the future: Natalie Portman.

Stand-out scene: Daughter imitating mother.

Brainer or no-brainer: Brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

TV.

From the director of the intelligent, verbose ensemble pieces Smoke and Blue in the Face this is far from the 'Thelma and Daughter' some critics dismissed it as, an erroneous statement anyway since Sarandon played Louise. For a start, Sarandon's brash and annoying Adele August is an ocean away from the solid, dependable Louise. All leggings and flakiness, Adele flees her sleepy hometown of Bay City, Winsconsin for the bright lights of Beverly Hills, dragging her reluctant 14-year old daughter Ann with her (Natalie Portman). They make the journey in a gold Mercedes, which sums up Adele's pretensions at bettering herself among the movers and shakers on the West Coast of the US. Sarandon reportedly fought for Portman to take the daughter role and it makes a change to see two capable actresses carry a movie. A traffic cop turns out to be the source of wisdom in the movie as Ann struggles to cope with her mother's flightiness and carve herself an identity despite Adele's aspirations that she try to make it in the movie business. More realistic than the Portman vehicle Where the Heart is, which she made a year later, both actresses come out of this with their reputations not only maintained but enhanced.