My mum and sister have completely different tastes in films to me. They like nothing better than to sit down with a mushy rom-com, whereas I tend to go for thrillers and horror. At a recent visit to my parents, I felt like watching a film, so had to choose from a selection of what looked like hideous, vomit-inducing romances. I picked this one purely because it was one I hadn't heard of and it starred Dennis Quaid, who I generally think of as a good actor. I had no expectations of it being a good film, so perhaps for this reason, I actually quite enjoyed it.
Grace is a happily married woman with a successful career and a young daughter. Or at least she thinks. One day while out driving around town, she spots her husband Eddie kissing another woman. It soon becomes clear that he has been a serial cheater and that some of the women he was seeing were Grace's friends. Feeling that she has been made a total fool of, she takes her daughter and seeks refuge with her sister, Emma Rae.
Eddie quickly comes to regret his actions and tries to win Grace back. However, her pride is far too hurt
and the temptation to get her revenge is far too strong. Following the suggestion of an elderly relative, she does indeed wreck her revenge, although just as she realises that maybe her marital problems are not as clear cut as she thought. Will Grace be able to save her marriage? Or will she fall for the attractive new man in town?
I have to admit that I quite enjoyed this film. By no means was it brilliant, but it provided an interesting look at relationships; not just marital ones, but also family relationships. One of the reasons that Grace was so reluctant to forgive her husband is that she had seen her mother put up with her father's philandering when she was a girl, and this in turn calls into question the relations between her own mother and father and between parents and daughters.
Acting-wise, there is nothing of any great merit to talk about. Julia Roberts does a reasonable job as Grace. I like Julia Roberts as an actress; she looks fabulous, but nearly always plays slightly ditzy roles to which many women can relate. However, she is merely a competent actress and is certainly not always particularly realistic. There are some scenes in this particular film where she totally over-acts. Yes, Grace has had a tough time and is probably heading for a nervous breakdown, but Julia's way of handling this is to exaggerate the screaming in a way that is just not life-like.
Likewise, Dennis Quaid also does a reasonable job as Eddie. I do believe that he is a good actor, but there is just not the scope in this film for him to show off his talents. I'm also not sure the way his character changes during the course of the film is completely convincing, but that is the fault of the script-writer rather than his acting.
The name of Robert Duvall, who plays Grace's father, is very familiar, but I couldn't for the life of me remember anything that he has been in (actually he's been in films such as Apocalypse Now, Mash and The Godfather II). He is perfectly proficient in the role, as is Gena Rowlands as Grace's mother, but he certainly won't be winning any Oscars for it. Probably the scene stealer for me is Kyra Sedgwick as Emma Rae. Line-wise, she certainly had the best ones and there is a marvellous scene where she kicks Eddie in the balls….sounds cruel, but at the time, he certainly deserved it!
Script-wise, it was nothing special. It was a gentle story about a couple splitting up, its effect on their daughter and Grace's strained relationship with her parents. There is nothing in it to get excited about, but then again, there was nothing in it to make me want to switch off, which is my general reaction to romantic films. It was not sickly romantic, but rather was about a woman standing on her own two feet for once and re-evaluating her life; as someone who had a complete life change in my mid-30s, I could really identify with this.
I was quite surprised to see this film was directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Having directed films such as What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat and The Cider House Rules, I wouldn't have expected him to be involved with a film such as this. Perhaps he saved the film from being a total mess. Goldie Hawn as the executive producer was also involved - that was much less of a surprise.
I don't feel that the film deserves any more than three stars. I enjoyed watching it, but I doubt I will ever watch it again. It also just isn't anything special. If you happen to come across this film, then by all means watch, but I wouldn't recommend that you go out of your way to get hold of a copy unless you're a huge fan of Julia Roberts or Dennis Quaid.
I watched the VHS version, hence the film-only review. However, the DVD is available from play.com for £5.99.
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2003 - Drama - Director: Michael Winterbottom - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri, Jeanne Balibar
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