Review of The House of Mirth (2000) by Michael O — 27 Aug 2009

A deliberately paced tragedy that's about as close to a Merchant-Ivory production as you can get without actually being one. Gillian Anderson, known for playing Scully on The X-Files, is the star here, as a young socialite who can't quite seem to find the right husband or the right position.

It was initially disconcerting to see Anderson not chasing aliens, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Her performance is very good; she gradually increases her character's desperation throughout the film, until she finally reaches a breaking point at the end.

Eric Stoltz, who played the drug dealer in Pulp Fiction, here plays a nice young man; with his hair cut and his voice, he reminded me of Michael J. Fox. Dan Aykroyd plays a rather slimy fellow, but only shows up for the first half or so of the movie.

Anthony LaPaglia is solid as a very pragmatic but basically decent businessman. There are a lot of characters to juggle, but they all really matter only insofar as they relate to Anderson's character.

The costumes and sets and all are above average. The storytelling is very deliberate and the movie feels (and is) rather long, so be prepared for that. I can't really fault this movie for much, except that it is a sad story.