Heights (2004)

With wit and sympathy, Heights traces the crossed paths and messy lives of New York theater people, journalists, and artists. At the middle of everything is Isabel (Elizabeth Banks, The Sisters), a struggling photographer whose mother, Diana (Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons), is the grand dame of the theater world. Isabel's fiance, Jonathan (James Marsden, X-Men), is being pursued by a writer for Vanity Fair about his relationship with a lionized photographer. Meanwhile, Diana, though married, casts her eye on a young actor named Alec (Jesse Bradford, Happy Endings), who lives in the same building as Isabel... This only begins to unravel the tangle, but a clever script, clean direction, and nicely pitched performances keep Heights from tripping over its own plot lines or sagging into soap opera. Close, in particular, has a blast doing an uncanny Meryl Streep impression, and deft supporting performances by Isabella Rosselini (Blue Velvet), Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio), George Segal (California Split), and musician Rufus Wainwright keep the edges of the stories lively. Heights doesn't achieve the emotional fullness of the best of Robert Altman's ensemble movies, but it stakes a claim in that cinematic territory. --Bret Fetzer Amazon.com

Maybe Three Stars

While it was happening, I enjoyed it, though I continued to be mystified by the extreme star status of Diana Lee, the theater director played by Glenn Close, and also the similarly stellar nude photographer Benjamin Stone. How did either of these two get so famous? They treat Diana as though she were Lee Strasberg and Spielberg put together. And Benjamin Stone is presented as some super great Rauschenberg type artist, when the evidence shows he's nothing more than a Herb Ritts. Half the dialogue in the movie is either, "You mean, THE Diana Lee?" or "THE Benjamin Stone," and if I took a drink every time a character said one of these two lines I'd still be drunk three years later. Oh well, the impossible thing to believe is the assignment Isabella Rossellini gives the English schmo about writing the Vanity Fair article and exposing Benjamin Stone's past love affairs.

Peter looks pained every time he meets another of Stone's ex lovers, as though he had never known anything about them, and yet he is supposed to have been a) writing Stone's biography and b) "dating" Stone himself. And Stone is famous for sleeping with his models, as all the other characters and even their pets know, so why is Peter, his boyfriend, so surprised and anguished?

The movie takes place in 24 hours, right? And in that time we see Isabella Rossellini give the assignment, and then a montage of Peter interviewing a dozen or so men. How'd he line up all those interviews in one convenient day, it's ludicrous. And is Rufus Wainwright supposed to be attracted to him? Okay, maybe.

I liked Elizabeth Banks but thought she was pretty vicious at the end. Why so harsh, Isabel? It's not like you don't have a way out. The thing about being torn between two lovers is that you always have a fallback position, so I never got too sorry for any of the characters, especially not THE Diana Lee, crying on top of her three million dollar penthouse roof. Give me a break, Merchant Ivory! And yet at the same time the film is well done to a certain extent and one can never have enough Jesse Bradford or James Marsden, so everyone's a winner.

Merchant Ivory is known for eclectic casting and everyone wants to be in one of their films, but is that why we see Thomas Lennon in this one (as well as in LE DIVORCE)? He comes on screen and everyone in the audience breaks the mood by wondering, isn't that the guy in the hot pants in RENO 911? (Disguised, like Glenn Close, with dramatic dark hair.) (Like Madonna in the video for "Rain.")

August 11, 2008

Urban Secrets and Lies

"Heights"

Urban Secrets and Lies

Amos Lassen

"Heights" follows the lives of five characters on a full day in autumn in New York City. Isabel is a photographer who is in the quandary of having second thoughts about her upcoming marriage to a lawyer by the name of Jonathan. On the very same day, Isabel's mother discovers that her husband has a new lover and she begins to have new thoughts about the choices she has made and the open marriage she is living in. The new women, Isabel and her mother, Diana come into contact with a young actor, Alec and Peter, a young journalist. As the plot continues the connections between the five characters are shown as each lets us into his life and they all must choose the kind of lives they want to live before daybreak the next day.
The movie explores the ennui and boredom of modern urban life and those emotional earthquakes that disrupt the lives of our characters. Deception and secrecy seem to be the roots of the troubles of the characters. Jonathan seems to be suffering the most--he is Jewish and his fiancée is not and she refuses to go see the rabbi before the wedding. The two just do not see eye to eye. Diana, Isabel's mother, is a famous and admired actress and has an eye for young handsome men. When Alec auditions for a part in her new play, it is clear she likes him and not for his acting ability alone.
"Heights" is a film that succeeds because the story, the actors, the writing and the cast are all just fine--brilliant, in fact. The cast could not be better--Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden. George Segal, Isabella Rosselini, John Light all turn in excellent performances.
At its most basic the movie explores desires and the situations of the characters are held together by a character, a photogtapher, Benjamin Stone, who is never seen in the movie. His lover, Peter, tracks down models for an upcoming show and former models (who perhaps were also his lovers) so he can complete his memoirs. This is what ties the characters together. This is a powerful film even though the ending is somewhat of a downer because of the exposure of the characters earlier. It is a fine movie and a great character study.
May 19, 2008

Classic New York Story

It would be hard to add much to the well-presented reviews that have already been registered here over the past two years. Nevertheless, because of the inescapable "wow factor" of the film, I feel impelled to toss in -- damn, what a fine piece of work. Entertaining in every way. Wonderful writing--the reader comes to care about and appreciate all of the characters in the piece. Great, attractive cast with consistently smart acting. And, unusual for a film that involves gay people, there was depth and dimension to their characters and lives. The story could only have been set in New York--or so this non-New Yorker imagines--but it does present a credible backdrop of sophistication that probably isn't matched in many other parts of the U.S.
Wonderful film which I wish I had heard about a lot sooner. September 26, 2007

24 hours can change everything

This is a tightly constructed film that covers the lives of 5 characters over the course of a single day. Whereas the film starts with the characters feeling apparently satisfied with their lives and relationships, all this changes as old bonds are examined and broken and new bonds are created.

There are three primary themes of the film that are centered around three of the main characters. The first theme is resiliency as expressed by the young photographer Isabel, played by Elizabeth Banks; the second theme is human limitations as expressed by her famous mother, Diana, played by Glenn Close; and the third theme is denial of the self as expressed by Isabel's boy-friend Jonathan, played by James Marsden.

Isabel, the daughter of a famous actress and director, has become a photographer and with her camera as her shield, she trys to capture the lives of real humans. I say 'real humans' because Isabel comes from a world of sophistication, wealth, and privilege. She is engaged to her live-in boyfriend, the charming, sweet, handsome, smart Jonathan. Yet, as the film progresses things tend to go very wrong and the complexity of human nature and the multifaceted nature of human desire begins to reveal that every character is not as they seem.

Elisabeth Banks plays Isabel and does a great job of showing her taking an unexpected look at her lover, and then quickly following her instincts to move beyond her crisis toward situating herself for meeting her own needs.

James Marsden plays Jonathan, an attentive bright young man that is unable to determine his genuine needs. In many ways he is the emotionally weakest character in the film for he aspires to illusions of happiness rather than happiness,and despite his incredible male beauty, is highly dependent upon others.

It is with Glenn Close as Diana that more mature viewers may identify. She is incredibly successful, mature, talented, connected, and yet fragile to the point of being brittle when her younger husband brings his new lover to a cocktail party at their home. However, when her daughter is on the verge of making a major mistake by her planned marriage to Jonathan, Diana becomes a Lioness protecting her cub. Despite her theatrical talents, she is limited in how she is able to express her motherly affection for Isabel. But she does try and Isabel realizes her mother is there for her when she needs her. In some ways the pivotal point of the film is not that Isabel discovers that Jonathan is not who she thought he was but rather than her mother, despite her emotional limitations in her personal life, is exactly who she needs.

The film is thoughtful and sophisticated. George Segal offers the film's best moments of comedy as a well meaning but goofy elderly Rabbi. Jesse Bradford as the young actor Alec is also excellent in his role as the catalyst that pulls our main characters apart so that they can rebuild again. August 12, 2007

A decent little movie....

Elizabeth Banks is a pretty good actress, which is a suprise after she was basically only eye candy in the movie 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Just a basic movie of people finding themselves, that for a change is not presented in a cheesy way.

The movie and characters are well written. Banks is presented as one of those cliche, born to privledge photographers who is so intrigued by the human condition and the inanity of everyday life and the affections of the poor and downtrodden. A typical, I am special and trying to find myself character. Like "look I am so deep, unique and artistic" kind of a character. Her interactions with reality and other people and their ability to sift through her carfully manufactured BS, is what makes this movie interesting. She is basically shot down and called a phony for her persona.

This just kind of mirrors with what is happening with the other characters in the movie. They seem as if they fit a stock character mode of what their character should be and the world in subtle ways rips that apart and exposes them.

It is a pretty good movie.

This is worthy of a purchase. Banks, Marsden and Close are all solid. January 3, 2007

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