Review of Evening (2007) by Rahul T — 15 Jun 2010

(from The Watermark, 07/12/07).

Don't bother -- wait until they show it on Lifetime. Redgrave is on her deathbed, remembering her first love. Through a series of clunkily set-up flashbacks, we see her younger self (Danes) attending the 1950's New England wedding of her wealthy best friend (Gummer, whose resemblance to her mother -- Streep -- is creepy). Danes immediately feels a spark for a family friend (Wilson, beautiful yet wooden), and two storylines simultaneously play out: the period courtship of Danes and Wilson, and the modern-day narrative of Redgrave's daughter (Collette) dealing with impending parenthood. This overflowing estrogen-fest, trying to be a musing on choices and regret, can't rise above its clichés, even with this powerhouse cast. Streep and Redgrave are particularly good together, and Close (as the mother of the bride) continues to solidify her grasp on the word 'severe'.