| I enjoyed the movie immensely. Jodie Foster's direction and
intelligence came through to make a major point: that through
all our differences and idiosyncracies, even the greatest chasms
between us can be bridged by love. That love did not prevail at the
hilarious and painful family meal. Only the differences prevailed.
But in the end, the love shines through like the sun slowly
penetrating through thick clouds. The light intensifies the shadows
that surround and follow us, but it also brings meaning to them in the
context of the whole "picture." By accepting those differences and the
shadows, we enrich and highlight the natural beauty of that picture.
I enjoyed much of the humor in the movie. Humor can be a healthy means
of accepting our differences and fallibilities. Some of the humor
of the film ranked with the typical put-down humor of most sit-coms.
This kind of humor is not something I consider healthy. The humor I mean
is that which allows us to look at ourselves and each other in a more
understanding way, allowing us to accept, forgive, and move on with our
lives.
Yes, there was plenty of sentimentality, but some of it rang deep in
my soul, such as the goodbye between Holly Hunter and her parents
at the airport, her slow, long walk down the tunnel. How many of those
goodbyes I experienced, the tears of recognition how much I really
love my parents, the ones who brought me down my first tunnel, and how
unimportant my differences with them really are in contrast to that
love.
Thank you Jodie.
Phil
<<< Note 985.0 by ONOFRE::SKELLY_JO >>>
-< Home for the Holidays >-
I'm surprised not to find a topic on this movie. Well, I almost waited too
long to see it, so maybe everyone else did too.
This movie is directed by Jodi Foster and stars Holly Hunter as
Claudia, an art restorer who, a few seconds after the credits, gets
fired. This is definitely bad timing as she has a cold and is dreading
the fact that she is about to fly home for Thanksgiving with her
parents. On the way to the airport, her teenage daughter's parting
remarks only worsen the situation and everything goes downhill from
there. She loses her coat, there's turbulence on the flight and the
woman sitting next to her refuses to shut up even when Claudia calls
her brother Tommy on the phone and tearfully begs him on his answering
machine to come home for Thanksgiving too.
Her fat father (Charles Durning) and chain-smoking mother (Anne Bancroft)
meet her at the airport and somehow her mother just knew to bring an extra
coat. They get caught in a traffic jam and as her mother blows smoke at her
and comments that her roots are showing, she looks into nearby cars and
discovers other grown children looking back and looking equally trapped and
desperate.
Tommy, played by Robert Downy Jr., does show up, bringing along a "business
partner", the handsome and charming Leo, played by Dylan McDermott. Claudia
is not sure whether to like Leo or not because she is worried about the
missing Jack, the serious love of Tommy's life last time she saw him. Their
sister, Joanne (Cynthia Stevenson) and her husband, Walter (Steve
Guttenberg) arrive with their bratty children and are more worried about
having to spend the day with Tommy, who wasn't supposed to be there. They
have reason to be afraid. He doesn't even let them get out of the car
before he attacks. He is irrepressibly annoying, being as eager to kid
around and jerk other people's chains as they are to mimic the Cleavers in
normalcy. Add the very misnamed Aunt Glady (Geraldine Chaplin), the
family's flatulent nutcase who drinks too much, and you have the
traditional Thanksgiving dinner from hell.
It's a strange movie, with a rather split personality. Somehow the family
conflicts seem just a bit too exaggerated. It's a set up for slapstick
comedy, which does happen, but then the movie has very serious, sometimes
sentimental, but sometimes very realistic dramatic moments. I found the
comedy too extreme for the drama and vice-versa. The scenes are announced
with titles and one of them is "The Point". Well, I didn't get the point,
not even after I watched that scene.
Maybe it's good it's on its way out of theaters so nothing I will say will
necessarily discourage anyone from seeing it. It just won't be there much
longer to see. I think I may rent it when it comes out on video. Now that
I've seen the whole story, it may be worth studying it again from start to
finish, but in a way, that suggests the fault I have to find with the
movie. It leaves one feeling slightly dazed and confused, like something
was missing. I'm not sure what. Perhaps, just a clear sense of intent.
My minor complaint was the sound. That may have been the theater's fault,
but I don't think so. There was a lot of quick dialogue with other people
talking or music in the background that made many lines unintelligible. I
kept thinking what I was missing, were the punch lines.
John
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| Rented this over the weekend.
I liked it more than my husband did, but we both agreed that we should
watch it every year before we go to family get-togethers and then ours
won't seem so bad!
I'd give this mixed reviews. The first 2 notes here really capture the
essense. Plot was a bit jumpy. You couldn't hear some of the dialog,
even with rewinding the tape and concentrating. Some of the scenes were
hard to figure out.
The movie was a mixture of humor/depression. I though Robert Downey's
character was too much over the top - like he was high on something for
most of the weekend, but Downey can play that type of part very well.
If he was my brother he would have eaten that camera! (character had a
polaroid camera and would take pictures of his sister in the shower,
sleeping and other equally embarrassing positions).
Loved Charles Durning - washing the cars in the cold, sitting in the
basement watching old family movies. Grabbing his wife and dancing just
for the heck of it. Seeming to be oblivious of the surroundings and
then making very poignant statements. His comment to jack on the phone
is case in point. And the last scene at the airport was definately
endearing (at least one hanky for me - but then I can tear up at
hallmark commercials).
Small nit - the chicago airport she flew out of in the beginning of the
movie - sure looked like Baltimore Washington Airport (unless Chicago
was build by the same guy)- so it was a bit confusing for us locals -
she's supposed to be flying home to Baltimore, yet she's going to
airport at Baltimore?
**1/2 out of *****
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