 |  | Amy Adams makes this film |  |
Amy Adams makes this film. Delightful peformance. The outsider art thing seems so 80s to me - reminds me of the days of Howard Finster and early R.E.M. I think either Angus or Phil is stuck in the past. But enjoyable film
July 2, 2008 | | Touching, thought-provoking view of the South and culture clash | |
I'm a big fan of these indie family dramas that don't have tidy endings and deal with tough stuff. This one is quality and will stick with you. Be prepared, though, to not be terribly satisfied from a "happy-ending" perspective. But you will walk away enriched.
I thought the film presented a complex picture of the South, and pointed out that there are aspects of that religiously-infused, family-oriented culture that are laudable, and that big-city cosmopolitans sometimes lose sight of what's important. Some reviewers here said that it paints a negative picture of Southerners. I don't think that the Southerners' negative characteristics are necessarily attributable to their "Southernness." And you could also say that there are some less-than-desirable traits of the city woman (can't remember her name right now). Also, that scene at the church is amazing, and has to be the best treatment of evangelical Protestantism I've seen in a major film. Very fair and interesting, and goes beyond shallow treatment and into appreciation. So the ending isn't satisfying? Sometimes life isn't satisfying. I think the character of George is horribly underdeveloped, and that's the biggest weakness here. Amy Adams' character copes with a crappy life by being sweet and optimistic. It's actually quite impressive. Sorry you didn't like it - I liked it and this liberal non-Southerner doesn't ever imagine himself living there.
May 8, 2008 | | A Little Indie Masterpiece | |
This is a film about a lot of things. It is about family. And love. And passion. It is about what we care about. It is uneven (the schizo artist guy was a bad touch) but it also soars at times. The physical passion between Madeline and George was one of the finest protrayals of real sexuality I have ever seen in an American film. The mainstream studios could learn from this film. But Embeth Davidtz's finest scene may be her reaction to George as he sings a solo hymn (at the pastor's insistence) at the church social- you can just see her sense of wonder as she discovers that there is a spiritual and artistic side to her husband that she had no idea existed- and you can see her falling in love all over again without her having to saying a word. Amy Adams gave a superb performance as George's very pregnant sister in law- she received well deserved awards for that portrayal and has since gone on to prove that it was no one time fluke.
April 19, 2008| | | Amy Adams is everything; lots of other good stuff, too | |
How enjoyable! Newlywed romance against expectant "romance"; culture clashes and dysfunctional families, and an eccentric old artist (the catalyst of the whole thing, wonderfully played by Seymour Cassell, nominated back in '68 for "Faces"). Acting is generally fine, but it's Amy Adams as Ashley who sees life, not as it is, but as it ought to be. Such joy of life, expressed by her fresh face and every slight nuance. I enjoyed "Junebug" very much; good people and "bad" people (who really aren't bad) and misunderstanding and other terrific stuff make this the feel good movie I've come to watch over again. Production details have been covered by previous reviewers, so I won't go into that, nor will I blab away essential plot points. Suffice it to say, this small indie film hits ALL the right nerves. My favorite moment was when Goerge got up to sing, and Madeleine saw this new side of him of which she was unaware. Sweet moment.I like it a lot! DVD extras are mostly centered around Ms. Adams.
April 18, 2008That was the phrase I thought of while watching this movie. I can't remember the time I last disliked a film on so many levels. The cinematography was ugly and pretentious. Every American Southern character is portrayed in such an unflattering light. I'm a New Yorker, but I am offended for Southerners in this movie. Seems like they took every backwood, heartland stereotype and put it in this film. Even the religious references made their Christian faith seem silly and archaic instead of deep and beautiful. All the members of George's family seem to be uptight, unsavory and unsympathetic people. George, when not stranding his new wife with his horrible family, is passive-aggressive and manipulative. Many reviewers rave about Amy Adams performance, but I found it to be very one-sided: incredibly, Polly-Anna saccharine sweet. (Her hospital scene is good, but one scene doesn't make a movie.) Brother Johnny is even more annoying with his complete lack of regard and emotional withdrawal toward his pregnant wife and his family. Madeline is the least annoying or repugnant, but I wonder why a smart, capable woman would impulsively marry a loser like George. There is no resolution to any of the problems that arose in the film...the characters just seem to go on about their ordinary business like all their crappy lives and relationships will be fine if they ignore the problems. I left the film feeling dissatisfied and a bit dirty; just because it's indie, doesn't mean it's artistic, interesting, or at all good.
February 23, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
(110 reviews)