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Reviews
The Perfect Family (2011)
Can't appreciate it without understanding the SPOILER
The reviews I've read miss the entire point of this script, IMO. KT's character has lived most of her life trying to earn absolution for an act any Catholic woman, and most women who are mothers, would never be able to forgive themselves for (never mind one's political position on choice). She's dedicated her life to good works in her local diocese toward this end and, as a result, is offered the possibility of "complete absolution" of her sin by the church. After 30 years of attending confessional to absolve herself of her petty sins -- taking the lord's name in vain; doubting tenets of her faith -- this possibility of forgiveness for what, as a woman, is unforgivable, means everything to her. When that clashes with the realities of her family situation (gay daughter, divorcing adulterer son, husband who can no longer tolerate her self loathing and resultant intolerance), she must traverse a lot of emotional territory very quickly, because if she wants the absolution she thought mattered most, she has little time to make the case to the Church she has the "right" Catholic family, when everyone she loves needs her forbearance for being who they are, and none of them judges her or, if they knew the facts, would readily forgive her for her One Great Sin.
There are clunky scenes, but I loved this story and these characters. (And wish NYT ratings were easier to navigate and edit).
The Last Rites of Joe May (2011)
Best Holiday Movie Ever
Okay, "holiday movie" is twisted, but consider its theme: an entire wasted worthless life may be redeemed by a single selfless act. This ONLY works if one focuses solely on the brilliant performance by Dennis Farina who is fearless showing the "warts-and-all" side of his character, who teeters so close to "all," we are nearly as surprised as Joe May when ethos penetrates his ego. But the script succumbs to the failures of so many these days: the too-easy Totally Two-Dimensional Bad Guy, and System That Supports Bad Guy in Position of Authority Making Woman Total Victim of Man and System. The moral ambiguity of Joe's Final Act is not supposed to be an issue, according to the script, because the beneficiary of his Selfless Act will either die eventually at the hand of her tormentor, or she will lose her child if she invokes protection from the agencies that should protect her. We must assume one of two things to believe Joe's Final Selfless Act is justified: the "System" actually will never protect the hapless female, or Joe and the hapless female are not unreasonable in assuming this is the case.
I may be alone in the wilderness, but I believe it is time to stop painting pictures of a society that is so broken a perfect victim can find no protection but at the hands of an avenger. I rate this movie a 9 for performances and direction, and a 1 for its theme. Thus, my average rating of 5.
We Have Your Husband (2011)
True story well told and better acted
There are spoilers in this review. I have never reviewed, but feel compelled to do so now because another review is so misleading, suggesting this movie had nothing to do with the facts of the events on which it was based. I, like that reviewer, did my own research, and can say that the facts in the film are amazingly accurate but for the fact that the film soft peddles the captivity. Google "Eduardo Garcia Valesca kidnapping" and you'll locate the Washington Post article about same, and will learn that the events as written in the script are accurate: the wife was initially taken and then released; she did not have title to the family's liquid assets or the land (generally the case in the U.S. until a few decades ago, and not at all unusual in a patriarchal society where the wife is not participating actively in the family business or financial affairs); etc. I only watched because I'm a huge fan of Morales and Polo (he for 20+ years, she for 5+), and this movie didn't disappoint. He turns in his usual solid performance, but she shows dimensions I've never seen from her. She's always real and restrained, but is so raw at times here, the hair stood up on the back of my neck.
This movie merits at least 8 out of 10 stars for made-for-TV given the horrid state of writing currently available. But for an opportunity to watch an underrated actress show her best chops, it's a 10.
The Con (1998)
This movie loves its characters, and so did I.
I love this little gem of a movie. Plot is important because it is the contrivance which brings two people from completely different worlds together but once they are, it is characters which drive it forward. Two aunts are the movie's sirens -- one cynical, the other accepting, but for the same reasons. One is terrified Macy's character will be hurt, the other that he'll never know happiness. This good heartedness lurks below the surface of all the characters, though they have not necessarily brought out the best in each other until, paradoxically, deMornay's outsider arrives and upsets the balance in the small town where the story takes place. Macy is brilliant as a mope of a man willing to play dumb and dumber if that's what it takes to share time with the lovely deMornay. And because of the con, her character must step aside and show her gentlest and best self. DeMornay glows as a woman filled with wonderment when good people respond to her innate goodness. If you like movies that love their characters, flaws and all, don't miss this one.