Review of The Lovely Bones (2009) by Bec H — 04 Sep 2013

The good news is it works better than it doesn't work in a new way I haven't seen previously. Stanley Tucci is a well deserved Oscar nominee for his 'ever important' role as the antagonist in this film.

Usually films like this fail due to 'less than strong' antagonists (the bad guy) not having enough presence in the film and/or not giving enough to the main characters to play off of.

Stanley Tucci brings Mr. Harvey to life in a way that has depth, interest and carries the viewer along. A major plus.

The best example of this is Susie's omniscient voiceover 'from the almost grave' illustrating the killer's psychological motivation in an entertaining and instructive way.

Afterlife movies always ask 'what comes next'..and the audience is begs to know what comes after this life, as if the filmmaker 'might' have the answer.

Rarely does the filmmaker have the answer and while the film does seem to go in that universal yearning, and this movie does toy with audience here, the reveal of the afterlife is not relied upon as the ultimate goal of the film.

We know we're looking for peace of mind and heaven, however, we are much more concerned with the journey, rather than the goal, after all, isn't what a movie is? a journey?

Along the way, a few of the implausibilities are forgiven (how did sister Lyndsey know to go upstairs and find a secret floorboard containing Mr.Harvey's drawings for ensnaring victims) is balanced out when Mr. Harvey meets his demise through an icicle and the fate of life rather than information gained due to Susie's family's 'sense' that Susie is still around, even if not of this Earth.

Thank God the movie did not rely on the 'almost dead' talking to the living and giving answers. The Lovely Bones treads a narrow line between so many afterlife cliches that it never falls victim to any of them...it uses them enough, but not too much.

A few oddities; The mother going off to California to pick fruit cuz she cannot deal with daughter's death seems random rather than an action leading to greater understanding or meaning.

The movie 's voiceover qualifies this as a time period (early 70's) before missing kids appeared on cereal cartons and lone grown men living alone, somewhat secluded and making dollhouses were not sure fire targets for murderers. Really?