Idealistic and compassionate cop Chris Anderson (an excellent performance by Luke Perry) marries the beautiful and alluring, but extremely troubled, unstable, selfish, and self-destructive Pam (superbly played with gut-wrenching anguish by Ashley Judd). When Pam's constant spending puts them in a severe financial hole, Chris resorts to robbing banks in order to pay off their mounting bills. Director John McNaughton, working from a sharp and incisive script by Peg Haller and Bob Schneider, expertly explores the grim underside of an extremely dysfunctional love gone seriously awry, the dangers of falling for and becoming involved with the wrong person, and how a bad person can have a profound toxic effect on another basically descent person while firmly grounding the bleak, despairing, and nihilistic story in a totally plausible everyday suburbanite reality. The two leads both do sterling work: Perry's Chris makes for a touching and sympathetic protagonist as he does everything he can to make the incredibly messed-up Pam happy while Judd brings a castic humor, raw energy, and fierce intensity to Pam that positively bursts off the screen. Moreover, there are sound supporting turns by Jim True-Frost as Chris' loyal friend Mike, Dawn Maxey as Pam's smitten lesbian coworker Eva, Kate Walsh as Chris' concerned sister Cindy, Michael Skewes as the antagonistic Officer Swift, and Tom Towles as Chris' sickly dad Frank. The uncompromisingly downbeat ending packs a powerful emotional gut punch. Both Jean de Segonzac's polished cinematography and the moody score by McNaughton and Ken Hale are up to speed. A real bang-up sleeper of a grim and haunting movie.
Review of Normal Life
Normal Life
(1996)
A fine and gripping psychological thriller about the dark side of love
4 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers