Review of Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2011) by Désirée S — 04 Sep 2012

A good cast is wasted in this yarn of liberal propaganda. I don't dislike fims about politics or religion as long as they don't beat a lifestyle over one's head ... and Peace, Love and Misunderstanding does exactly that with a hippie Woodstoke ode to liberalism.

That this comes from someone who stands left of center says something. PL&M is about peace and love but what is offensive is that the "misunderstanding" is simply one-sided as the conservative daughter (Catherine Keener - Being John Malkovich, Where the Wild Things Are, Into the Wild) who has just been asked for divorce by her husband (Kyle MacLachlan - "Twin Peaks", Showgirls, Blue Velvet) flees the city to Woodstock where her mother (Jane Fonda - Klute, Monster-in-Law, On Golden Pond) still loves the free-lovin' lifestyle.

The message of the movie is that Keener misunderstands ALL of her mother's wisdom ... but the implication isn't that the wisdom comes from being the elder but because of how she has decided to live.

Blah, blah, blah. Keener meets another man while in Woodstock (Jeffrey Dean Morgan - The Watchmen, "Gray's Anatomy", PS I Love You) which seems to please her son but offends her college-age daughter (Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene, Silent House, Therese Raquin) who also misunderstands EVERYthing about a liberal lifestyle.

The film paints liberals as all-knowing and conservatives as up-tight prudes who change their minds/beliefs because of a few plot points. It is all hokey and I was not impressed. It was very granola.