Review of Nearest to Heaven (2002) by Billy. L — 13 Apr 2005

[font=Arial]'...Nearest to heaven...' a memorable line from the 1957 classic AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER is the springboard for this film...Fanette (Deneuve) is a woman living in regret over the fact she failed to commit to the love of her life during the best times of her life...she's haunted by him on every street corner, corridor, & movie theatre...his image seems to be burnt into her head...now after years of waiting & wondering she finally gets a second chance at love...

The story is uneven & frustrating...music score is sometimes inappropriate to say the least...it's more of a homage to Deneuve than the wonderful Grant/Kerr film...Yes, Deneuve is stunning & yes, the camera seems to caress her every move & expression...but...she comes across as very cold & distant...uncomfortable mostly...its quite believable men in Fanette's life have thrown themselves at her feet & she just shrugs them off....one of them, Matt (Hurt) is a spontaneous photographer who's unexpectedly become her partner in NYC while she's there on business & a long awaited personal appointment...but it seems his character is written in as filler for someone to bounce Deneuve's dialogue off of...

Overall: Even if your a Catherine Deneuve fan as I am, you might want to skip this one... [/font].