'Georgia Rule' explores mother-daughter-grandmother dynamics
Though not the aptly described "Monster-in-Law" she played in the film of that title, Jane Fonda embodies yet another formidable matriarch in her latest screen role.
Her name is Georgia, and whatever she says goes. Thus the title, "Georgia Rule" (Universal), an uneven drama with sporadic comic moments. The God-fearing Georgia -- who will literally wash anyone's mouth out with soap if they take the Lord's name in vain -- is mother to the alcoholic, inveterate smoker Lilly (Felicity Huffman).
The latter is at her wit's end with her sassy, oversexed, deeply troubled daughter, Rachel (Lindsay Lohan), and in the film's opening scene, we observe Rachel and Lilly at verbal odds, en route to the fictional sleepy town of Hull, Idaho.
Lilly, you see, has decided to leave Rachel with grandmother Georgia, reasoning that the iron-willed Georgia, with her lengthy list of "rules," will knock sense into the defiant 17-year-old.
Georgia's a caring person under the rigid exterior, as we see from the way she handles two neighborhood boys who help her with household chores.
Rachel gives Georgia plenty of sass from the moment they meet, but the older woman's firm ways hold sway, and Rachel daren't refuse when she learns that Georgia has arranged a summer job for her, working for handsome widower Simon (Dermot Mulroney), whose wife and child perished in a car crash years before. He's the town's veterinarian who also, on occasion, treats people. Years before, he had dated Lilly.
Rachel meets country bumpkin Harlan (Garrett Hedlund), soon to depart for Mormon missionary work, and she seduces him in a rowboat -- much to the consternation of Harlan's girlfriend, who sets her girlfriends to spying on Rachel, now pegged as the town slut, to prevent a recurrence.
Rachel excels as Simon's assistant, but soon reveals to him that she has been sexually abused since the age of 12 by her stepfather, Arnold (Cary Elwes). This would seem to explain her aberrant behavior. But is she telling the truth? Therein lies the plot for the rest of the film. Suffice it to say, you're kept guessing right up to the end.
Director Garry Marshall's glossy soap opera is well acted, particularly by the three leads, with Lohan especially impressive as she touchingly limns the wounded soul beneath the brazen bravado.
The film -- with a script by Mark Andrus -- ultimately delivers a pro-family message, along with other admirable themes of intergenerational bonding and forgiveness. But weighed against those positives are insufficiently defined characters and tawdry elements like the granddaughter's blatant sexuality and gutter language, the sexual abuse aspect and a rather patronizing view of the pious Mormon townspeople.
The film contains strong sexual material, though no nudity, implied underage encounters, innuendo, rough and crude language and profanity, domestic violence, blackmail, heavy alcohol use and drug references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Civic Duty
In "Civic Duty" (Freestyle), Terry Allen (Peter Krause), an accountant who has just been laid off at work, begins to suspect that his next-door neighbor, a young Muslim man (Khaled Abol Naga), may be a terrorist. (Terry has seen him rummaging through the garbage at night, and looking furtively out from his ground-floor window.)
Terry's photographer wife, Marla (Kari Matchett), is appalled that her husband would jump to any such conclusion on such inconclusive evidence, and even bristles when Terry refers to him in politically incorrect terms as "the Middle Eastern guy." She goes downstairs and introduces herself to the man, who tells her his name is Gabe Hassan, and that he's a student, a friendly exchange observed from above by a still-leery Terry.
Undeterred, Terry impulsively phones the FBI, though doesn't leave his contact information. He's therefore surprised when Agent Hillary (Richard Schiff) turns up to learn more.
Terry sheepishly explains his suspicions. Hillary listens respectfully, but orders him to leave the matter in FBI hands.
Without revealing all the details, let's just say that Terry cannot back down, leading ultimately to a tense standoff between Terry and a SWAT team.
Jeff Renfroe directs with plenty of tension and Krause is especially riveting in one of his best post-"Six Feet Under" roles, mixing his amiable average-Joe persona with increasingly loony, and dangerous, paranoia.
Although Andrew Joiner's script grapples with some interesting post-Sept. 11 themes, the presumably intentional ambiguity of certain plot elements undercut valid themes of racial profiling and media-based hysteria.
We never quite learn the truth about Gabe, and therefore it's hard to know if Terry might be correct in his suspicions after all, or whether his paranoia is simply fueled by inflammatory news reports and government warnings. But if Gabe is in fact guilty, then Terry's actions -- including trespassing in Gabe's apartment -- might be justified.
All this uncertainty is frustrating, but "Civic Duty" certainly holds you for every one of its 94 minutes.
The film contains rough and crude language, mild profanity, innuendo, ethnic slurs, moderate violence including a shooting death, a nongraphic husband-wife sexual encounter, domestic discord and a brief drug reference. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Harry Forbes is director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.
|