Review of Carol (1990) by Jared A — 18 Jan 2016

When was the last time you ate a really dry piece of toast??? No butter or jam, no brown sugar or honey, no breakfast protein to compliment it of any kind, and nothing to wash it down with. . . A pretty dry experience, isn't it? Sure, stripped of all the excess, that dry piece of toast may be good under certain circumstances (diet, hangover, quick eat, etc), but it doesn't take away the feeling of utter blandness when attempting to swallow that crusty mouthful. This is the best way I can explain my sentiments for "Carol", the new art house romance starring Academy Award darling Cate Blanchett and relative newcomer Rooney Mara (American remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo). Adapted from the novel, "The Price of Salt", this story details a taboo for its time love affair between two women who meet in a down town Manhattan shopping center one 1950s Christmas night. Therese (Mara) is a mousy young woman still unsure of her sexuality and rather reserved because of it. When she first lays eyes on Carol (Blanchett), albeit subtle, the attraction and the connection is almost instant. It begins innocently enough. Small talk exchanges and little outings. Soon though, things begin to evolve as Therese finds out this may not be Carol's first rodeo. Carol does have a husband who is aware of his wife's true feelings, and they do have a young daughter caught in the web of their marital issues, but this does not deter the way she proceeds with her new relationship with Therese.

It is understood that this film is generally respected by critics and audiences alike, so before I get people chastising me for "not getting it" because I didn't think it was as endearing of a romance as most people did, hear me out. . . I fully offer a disclaimer that I was sleep deprived that day and may not have been in the right frame of mind to experience this one. That being said, the film's gentle touch of thematic material proves to be a double edge sword. The soft spoken dialogue, the classical musical score, those hazy while seemingly crisp shots that give the 50s scene a somewhat regal vibe, and plot points that carress more than they slap. A true to its word sleepy "affair", this put my minor case of A.D.D. to the toughest of tests. Little things like how many grams of sugar were in my excessively sweetened tea I had to purchase to stay awake did not escape my drifting attention as I stared at the health label. Nor did the amount of times the phone of the woman sitting directly behind me rang three quarters of the way through the film. It was eleven. . . Eleven times, and I'm not even that mad because it was the most my attention peaked through the entire show. There was a longing on my part for legitimate conflict and resolution in the film as much these lovely ladies were longing for one another. Filmmaker Todd Haynes, responsible for other beautifully done yawn-inducers like Far From Heaven, I'm Not There, and the semi recent Mildred Pierce mini-series, stays consistent to say the least. Blanchett does what she typically does to woo the audience and find her occasional dialogue driven moments to wow, while I found Mara to be more morose and a rather weak compliment regardless of the award season buzz she has been getting. While "Carol" is sensually shot and contains elements of a classical touch while diving into the depths of feminine desire, it in the end was simply a romantic drama that leads you on like a date going REALLY well, only to conclude with bad sex. Leaving both parties thinking, "that was it, huh???".

GRADE: C.