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Junebug
Directed by: Phil Morrison
Starring: Emily Davidtz
Genre:
Comedy/Drama/ Independent
Run Time: 106
min.
Release Date:
August 2005
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
When Madeleine (Emily
Davidtz), a bohemian art dealer from Chicago, married George (Alessandro
Nivola), a true southern beau, life started getting interesting. Their
whirlwind marriage occurred only a few weeks after they met (love at
first sight) and when they decided to head to North Carolina on
business, and meet up with George's eccentric and challenging family,
short circuits were bound to happen.
Madeleine is deposited into this family's home, meeting such interesting
members as the quiet father Eugene (Scott Wilson), the domineering
matriarchal family leader Peg (Celia Weston), the angry and loathsome
brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie), and the lonely but ever upbeat — and
pregnant — sister-in-law Ashley (Amy Adams).
Battles between small town American values and big city life clash
(albeit very quietly) as Madeleine, George and George's family have to
deal with old wounds left by George's leaving the town three years ago,
old wounds that are opened anew within confused brother Johnny, the
sexual appetite Madeleine and George have for one another in a household
(and community) that has long since lost these passions, and a family
that continues to hide its dysfunctions.
I love indie films. Love everything they stand for — little nothing
company breaks into film on a shoestring budget, possibly gaining a
larger audience thanks to such festivals as Sundance and Cannes. But
sometimes these independent films miss the mark.
I'll probably bring the wrath of reviewers down upon me for saying this,
but I didn't care for JUNEBUG at all. Once again I was fooled into
believing what the critics (Ebert and Roeper, etc.) said about a film
and decided to rent it.
I guess most of my disappointment comes from the pacing. Although
southern life tends to be slow, and this is an interesting fact of life
for those that live in the Carolinas and surrounding area, it doesn't
necessarily translate well to film. I found myself yawning far too
often.
The other big disappointment is that the movie's labeled as a
"comedy/drama." The fact that I didn't crack a smile once during the
entire flick tells me that either I missed the parts that were supposed
to make me laugh (I'm usually a pretty astute viewer, though), or they
(the laughs) missed their mark. Looking over the special features on the
DVD, I found it puzzling when many of the actors and actresses kept
referring to "the comedic portions of the film." Again, I didn't see it.
And my final complaint is that the characters — with the exception of
Amy Adams — were all one dimensional.
I will give some praise to the filming and cinematography. The director
caught the unique qualities of the South quite well, so visually I
thought the film was well put together. But the acting and pacing
weren't what I was expecting.
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Image from Junebug
DVD cost: $14.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Alessandro Nivola missed
the reference to his character singing a hymn when he read the script,
and was unaware that he had to do so until a few days before his
"singing scene" was scheduled to shoot. He only had a few days to
rehearse, and his singing in the scene is recorded live, as the budget
did not allow for it to be recorded on a sound stage.
Movie Quote: "I
was just tellin' your mother that I love her."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Junebug
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