Hope Floats

Tags

1990's, Drama, Forest Whitaker, Gena Rowlands, Harry Connick Jr, Hope Floats, Mae Whitman, Michael Paré, Romance, Sandra Bullock

Film Title

Hope Floats

Director

Forest Whitaker

Starring

• Sandra Bullock as Birdie Pruitt
• Harry Connick Jr as Justin Matisse
• Gena Rowlands as Ramona Calvert
• Mae Whitman as Bernice Pruitt
• Michael Paré as Bill Pruitt

Its predictable and not much in the way of a surprise happens in it, but within its framework of a romantic drama, Hope Floats gains points for sturdy direction from Forest Whitaker and a moving performance from Sandra Bullock.

Birdie Pruitt thought she had a great life with her husband Bill. That was until she discovered that he had been having an affair with her best friend. To make matters even worse, this surreptitious relationship is revealed on a television show where Birdie thought she was going for a free makeover. Reeling from her husband’s betrayal and humiliated beyond belief, Birdie packs up her car and moves back to her Texas hometown with her young daughter Bernice. She doesn’t particularly want to go back home, but it appears to be the only place she can get as her eccentric mother Ramona is still there. Her mother is a get up and go lady who tries to help her daughter, though this is a big hurdle at first. Young Bernice is also miserable because she loves both of her parents, but being a child doesn’t quite understand the complexity of the situation and to top that off, she doesn’t fit in at her school. Birdie was once the popular girl in town who was elected Prom Queen and made the cheerleading squad, which made her the envy of a lot of girls. Now that she’s back in town and going through a rough time, her enemies and old acquaintances seem more than happy to see her on her knees. Potential support and a lift out of the doldrums takes the shape of old friend Justin Matisse, a good-hearted and handsome man who always had his eye on her in younger days. Slowly and with help, Birdie begins to take stock of her life and emerge from her hurting shell to experience life again through new eyes.

Forest Whitaker is in the directing chair and his vision is quite promising and colourful, even if the script is basically ticking off all the things you expect from this kind of movie. Whitaker’s direction is quite simple and allows the emotions to flow freely, giving the actors chance to do their thing. To summarise, Whitaker has a gentle and amiable touch to the film that while not anything revolutionary, provides you with something to smile about in the long run. What Hope Floats does that sets it apart from others if only by a small margin, is the way that it gets you to connect with the characters. There are moments of genuine poignant feeling in it that I will admit stirred my heart and soul. Yes I know it is schmaltzy and not a film that is going to get my brain working, but the sentiment of confronting life and rebuilding yourself worked its magic on me. Hope Floats isn’t afraid to show the difficult things in life that we go through, which makes the uplifting pervading tone as it goes on all the more arresting, albeit in an unoriginal though nonetheless pleasing way. The romance between Birdie and Justin in Hope Floats is a tentative yet nicely played one; it yields funny and affable results after much deliberation from Birdie after she begins to rebuild her life after licking her wounds. The easy visuals of sun dappled rivers and hued fields backs this up exceedingly well and you really can slow feeling Birdie warming up to Justin, apprehensively yet slowly letting that barrier come down. The biggest stumbling block in Hope Floats is that it sometimes stays too long on one situation, when it needs do get to the next point and could do it quite easily. That being said, the building charm and healing story more than compensate for that. A gentle selection of songs has a soothing edge that is just right for that stirring feeling Hope Floats is going for.

Sandra Bullock heads the film with a sensitive performance, gradually revealing a woman pulling her life back together after suffering immense embarrassment. Slowly, the effervescence we all love about Bullock comes out, but seeing her unaffected delivery and touching appeal in a lot of Hope Floats compliments the film very well and shows her twin talent of beings charming and convincing. It’s a quality performance that sells the sentimental nature of the film and rings pathos from it through an understated delivery that builds to a lovable unearthing from the luminous Bullock. Harry Connick, Jr is pretty impressive as the confident cowboy style guy who little by little breaks down Birdie’s blocks. The part is mainly there to be the dreamboat hunk, but Connick Jr is darn good at being amusing too. Gena Rowlands is an utter delight when playing the wildly dressed, pull yourself up by your bootstraps mother who attempts to help her daughter, in something of a roundabout and unusual way. Rowlands is thoroughly divine in the film and almost steals the show with her no cares what anyone thinks persona and amusing timing. As the young daughter of Birdie, Mae Whitman is marvellously mature and engaging, not coming off as just another child actor. Instead, she holds her own against her more experienced co-stars and positively shines as the little girl trying to understand what is going on. Michael Paré is there to play the jerk who cheated on Birdie, yet has scant little else to contribute.

Not exactly the most deep or challenging movie, but nor is it trying to be. Hope Floats goes straight for the heart and scores highly on that rating, bolstered also by a touching emotion to it. Clichéd as it is, I couldn’t help but be emotionally engaged with Hope Floats.

Playing by Heart

Tags

1990's, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Edwards, Comedy, Dennis Quaid, Drama, Ellen Burstyn, Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson, Jay Mohr, Jon Stewart, Madeleine Stowe, Playing by Heart, Ryan Phillippe, Sean Connery, Willard Carroll

Film Title

Playing by Heart

Director

Willard Carroll

Starring

• Sean Connery as Paul
• Gena Rowlands as Hannah
• Angelina Jolie as Joan
• Ryan Phillippe as Keenan
• Gillian Anderson as Meredith
• Jon Stewart as Trent
• Ellen Burstyn as Mildred
• Jay Mohr as Mark
• Madeleine Stowe as Gracie
• Anthony Edwards as Roger
• Dennis Quaid as Hugh

A drama of relationships peppered with comedy, excellent writing and an all-star cast, Playing by Heart brims with emotional clarity, great dialogue and touching but witty insights into the various facets of love.

Playing by Heart focuses on the various kinds of loves, heart breaks and relationships of a seemingly disparate group of people living in Los Angeles. There is older married couple Paul and Hannah, who are approaching forty years of marriage and renewing their vows. There is the matter of Paul being diagnosed with a brain tumor, but this doesn’t dampen his spirit though it worries his wife. They must also deal with a present from the past as Hannah finds evidence that suggests that Paul may have been unfaithful during their marriage. Wildly dressed extrovert and wannabe actress Joan is found in the land of night clubs, living life to the absolute maximum. One night after dumping her boyfriend, she meets handsome but standoffish loner Keenan. Joan likes the guy, but he is cold and distant from her, which puzzles her. Sure enough, she begins to break through the barriers he has put up with her charisma and exuberance. Theatre director Meredith has all but given up on love after being hurt do many times and chooses to remain single. Yet this doesn’t stop affable architect Trent from pursuing her in a genuinely romantic way. Organised Mildred is forced to come to terms with the fact that her gay son Mark is dying of AIDS and attempts to mend their fractured relationship before it is too late by being honest with him for once in her life. Gracie, a married woman who is bored, is having an affair with Roger, who wants more out of the relationship than just sex. And finally there is the mournful Hugh, who travels from bar to bar, reeling off his tragic stories to women that will listen. Yet, his tales seem to change rapidly from night to night. Little by little, we begin to see the way that each seemingly separate story is connected in some way or another.

Writer/director Willard Carroll fashions a multi-stranded mosaic on the topic of love and the different ways it is expressed between people. Love is a subject that is more than well covered on films, but Carroll manages to give something to it with the multiple stories and characters. His script mixes tragedy, comic moments and blossoming romance with excellent results. It’s great to listen to his witty dialogue that captures the changing fortunes of the very different characters going through various kinds of love. Playing by Heart may not offer much in the way of being the most original movie, but that doesn’t make it any less good or accomplished. With a nice visual style of night-time Los Angeles, we feel the longings, passions and losses of these people. This is further given strength by a minimal but impactful score of trickling piano, tinged with jazz from the legendary John Barry. Playing by Heart is a well paced movie where something is always happening. Some of the middle half drags due to one uninvolving story thread, but the breadth of the other tales brings it back to greatness. There is something so natural about the way this movie explores relationships, I can’t explain it but it just feels so well done. I really liked watching how all the stories eventually connected, it was really orchestrated well through little things.

The marvellous ensemble cast is a real treat and adds significant amounts of talent to their respective parts. Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands have a winning chemistry as an older couple overcoming the hurdles that present themselves. These two actors are such pros and you see the twinkling in the eye of Connery and the warmth of Rowlands in every scene. Stealing the show throughout the movie is Angelina Jolie as the energetic and wild Joan. Imbuing the character with chatty verve, unusual dress sense and a quick, over the top humour, she is utterly delightful in the part that could have become annoying, but becomes instead lovable due to the presence of Jolie. Ryan Phillippe contributes some of his best work as the emotionally shut off Keenan, who gradually comes out of his shell because his attracted to Joan. There is Gillian Anderson who marvellously conveys the feelings of distrust in relationship that begin to wither when someone genuine takes an interest. Jon Stewart is that someone and he has a real madcap sense of humour to add to the mix. The always talented Ellen Burstyn is an emotional marvel as the mother trying to reconnect with her son and her scenes with Jay Mohr are really emotional highlights of the film as they are both able to be frank with one another. The one story that I didn’t find that involving was the one featuring Madeleine Stowe and Anthony Edwards having an affair. This isn’t the fault of the actors who are both well cast, it’s just that their story is a bit stale. Thankfully, Dennis Quaid makes up for that with his strange turn as the drunken Hugh, who switches his stories every night. It is a great showcase for Dennis Quaid as an actor.

Warm-hearted, funny and moving at many times, Playing by Heart brings a talented cast, colorfully drawn characters and exceptional dialogue together with care and sense of depth.

The Skeleton Key

Tags

2000's, Gena Rowlands, Horror, Iain Softley, John Hurt, Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard, Supernatural Horror, The Skeleton Key, Thriller

Film Title

The Skeleton Key

Director

Iain Softley

Starring

• Kate Hudson as Caroline Ellis
• Gena Rowlands as Violet Devereaux
• Peter Sarsgaard as Luke Marshall
• John Hurt as Ben Devereaux

A creepy supernatural horror/thriller with Gothic ambience and strange imagery, The Skeleton Key in my book is an underrated entry in the supernatural horror genre. Trust me you won’t be sleeping soundly after viewing this film.

Caroline Ellis is a caregiver in New Orleans. She has become disillusioned with working at a nursing home after seeing the way that when a patient dies the place can’t wait to dispense with them. Caroline has always felt a certain amount of guilt for not being there for her father when he passed away and through her work she sees it as an opportunity to make up for this. After quitting her job at the home, she finds an advert in a newspaper for a care worker at an old former plantation house deep in the heart of Southern Louisiana. In need of work, Caroline applies for the job. She is to care for Ben Devereaux, an old man who had a stroke the year before and has paralysed most of his body. Ben’s wife Violet doesn’t take to kindly to Caroline at first, but grows to tolerate her. The creaking house is a strange and mysterious place that soon becomes interesting to the curious Caroline. She is given a skeleton key by Violet and as one would, she begins to explore the house. She finds her way into the dusty attic that is anything but ordinary. She discovers various paraphernalia belonging to Hoodoo,  a form of conjuring. It seems the house once belonged to a rich man who had two servants who were practitioners of hoodoo and were lynched when it was discovered they were attempting to teach the rich man’s children to conjure. Caroline learns the story from the steely Violet, but remains skeptical surrounding it. The thing with Hoodoo is that it is harmless only if you don’t believe it. But Caroline’s discovery is far from good as various strange events begin to occur around her and her faith in logic is tested by awaiting horror.

From the opening shots, The Skeleton Key has marvellous visuals that radiate the smoky, Southern Gothic atmosphere of the house and the surroundings. The sense of mysticism abounds through various symbols such as old, scratchy records and folk stories that are weaved into the narrative thread. You can almost feel the humidity of the place. The various flashback scenes of the house’s history are visually stunning, using a cross cutting technique between black and white and colour. Iain Softley directs with a sure touch that helps slowly engulf us in the creepy story that awaits us and Caroline. He manages to build some great suspense and sense of dread with the narrative. Sure some moments may have hints of schlock and the occasional lull, but The Skeleton Key is still riveting and effective viewing.

What gives The Skeleton Key the edge as a supernatural horror/thriller is the talented cast. Kate Hudson sheds the rom com girl image to play the part of the caring and curious Caroline. Hudson creates a sympathetic and believable character who is far from the screaming heroines of some horrors. She is an intelligent woman caught up in the creepy mystery surrounding the house and attempting to escape the horror that slowly moves in. I hope Hudson chooses more roles like this in the future, as she is talented in more serious fare than people give her credit for. Gena Rowlands is ideally cast as the imperious Violet, who at first just appears to be a stubborn old woman stuck in her ways. She emerges as something much more scary and enigmatic than this. Peter Sarsgaard provides able support as Luke, the lawyer for Ben and Violet. John Hurt does some great acting in the underwritten role of Ben. Hurt rises above the scripts limitations and manages to convey fear, shock and uncertainty all through his eyes.

It may be far from original, but The Skeleton Key is an engrossing and spooky horror elevated to a higher level by the cast and with a sly and shocking ending that will leave you sleepless.