Review of Hanging Up (2000) by Nicki M — 03 Feb 2015

Actually liked this much more watching it now than I did when I first saw it (at the cinema in my 20's).

I liked it enough to buy the dvd, but never really bothered to rewatch it until now.

I think being older now, I can really appreciate the themes more. At the time, I guess due the casting of Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow, I expected light and chick flicky, and when it didn't completely deliver, I thought it was a so so movie and didn't really bother with it again.

There is humor in it. Meg and Lisa do have some funny lines, but it's a lot deeper too, as the three sisters deal with their aging father's bad health, dementia and looming death.

There's also their mother, who bailed years ago, admitting marriage and motherhood was not for her. Incredibly brave of this movie to tackle that one in a movie aimed at an audience who possibly wouldn't understand at all.

I think the low rating is probably due to the gap in marketing and the reality of this movie. The phone theme could have been dropped honestly. It would have worked fine without it. Overall I really found a new appreciation for this one and I think it is quite nicely done.

Diane Keaton I did find a little hammy as the insufferable older sister, Georgia, but the other two sisters, the father, the mother - really good.

Not perfect, but not as bad as the ratings make it seem either.