The Cider House Rules (7/10): Choosing your own destiny or the one drawn for you

“Goodnight, you princes of Maine, you kings of New England.”

Michael Caine’s second Oscar win came from his 1999 supporting role in The Cider House Rules, and despite delivering a solid performance I wouldn’t even rank it amongst his best work. The true standout here was Tobey Maguire who delivers a very subtle performance and is the main reason why the story works so well. I’d say it’s the best performance of his career. The film is old-fashioned (and the references to Dickens’ David Copperfield reinforce that claim even more) as it manages to capture the humanity in the story with a wonderful adaptation from John Irving of his own 1985 novel. The film isn’t afraid of tackling some moral dilemmas such as abortion and incest, and it does so without forcing a point of view on the audience. Lasse Hallstrom directs this film with his characteristic beautiful visual style although at times the melodrama can be a bit too sentimental. I felt like the film was much more similar in style to his prior film, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, as it focuses on several family dynamics and various subplots in a similar way. This is also as close as a Dickens movie we will get set in America. The film isn’t perfect however and there are several relationships that feel forced, but I assume it has to do with trying to fit the most important elements of the novel into a two hour movie. 

The film opens with a voiceover narration from Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine) explaining how he became the orphanage director at St. Cloud, Maine. He takes special interest in a young boy named Homer Wells who is returned back to the orphanage immediately by every foster parent who attempts to adopt him. After a while it becomes evident to Dr. Larch that Homer will stay with them for a long time so he begins to teach him everything he knows about being a doctor. After several years, now Homer is a grown man (Tobey Maguire) who becomes Dr. Wilbur’s assistant in the orphanage. When Lt. Wally (Paul Rudd) and his pregnant girlfriend Candy (Charlize Theron) show up at the orphanage to have an abortion that Dr. Larch is willing to do, Homer decides it is time to explore the outside world and leaves with the young couple. Wally offers him a job at his family’s apple farm which he gladly accepts. Before heading back to war, Wally and Candy take Homer to see the ocean for the very first time and this is just the first of many first time experiences that Candy will go on to introduce him to. Meanwhile, Dr. Wilbur has hopes that Homer will return and carry on the work which he has groomed him for, but he refuses to consider himself a doctor and seems to be enjoying life picking apples and spending time with Candy. 

There are a couple of strong supporting performances from Delroy Lindo as one of the men in charge of the apple picking group and Erykah Badu who plays his daughter. Jane Alexander and Kathy Baker are two of the nurses in the orphanage who work with Dr. Larch. Some of the child actors playing orphans deliver some strong scenes as Kieran Culkin, Erik Per Sullivan, and Paz de la Huerta specially stand out. My greatest complaint with the cast however is that J.K. Simmons is given absolutely nothing to do here playing Candy’s father. He seems to be only in a couple of montage scenes, but they completely misuse him. One of the strengths of the film however is that despite a shocking discovery surrounding Delroy Lindo’s character, he is never portrayed as a one dimensional character. There is some complexity to his character and he isn’t simply portrayed as a villain. On the moral dilemma surrounding the issue of abortion we have two characters with differing points of views, on the one hand Dr. Larch is very much for it, while Homer who has more faith in humanity is against it. The film may take a slightly pro abortion stand, but it doesn’t feel heavy handed considering the main issue here is Homer’s struggle to discover his own identity or follow the destiny Wilbur has traced for him. 

My Review: Labor Day (4/10)

¨I don't think losing my father broke my mother's heart, but rather losing love itself.¨

I admire director Jason Reitman's work (Juno and Up in the Air being my favorites), but I have to admit his screenplay for Labor Day was a mess. I really found it difficult to believe that any of the characters here would behave the way they did, and that took me completely out of the movie. There were some awkward and ridiculous decisions made by each one of the characters during some point of the movie that never allowed me to sit back and enjoy it. The premise is so out there that neither the suspense nor the romance worked. At the end, Reitman tried to save the film by giving it a schmaltzy and sweet ending, but it felt completely out of place. The only thing the film succeeds in is in making me want to go try some of that peach pie they made. Reitman knows how to place and move the camera, every shot was at the right place, but the senseless story hurt the film. Not even talented actors like Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet were able to make their characters believable, and the narration from Tobey Maguire was painful to listen to. Not for one moment was I able to buy into the scenario (a guy escapes from prison, and in order to hide from the police, forces a mother and her son to take him in to their home and then teaches them how to bake a pie and play baseball).  

The screenplay was adapted by Jason Reitman from Joyce Maynard's novel, which I have never read, but if it's anything like the film I plan to stay away from it. The film centers on a 13 year old boy named Henry Wheeler (narrated by Tobey Maguire as an adult, but played by Gattlin Griffith as the teenager) who lives with his depressed mother. Ever since her husband abandoned her, Adele (Kate Winslet) avoids going out and remains secluded indoors as much as possible. Henry spends most of his time with her, although some Sunday's he spends with his father, Gerald (Clark Gregg), and his new family. Henry and Adele's life takes an unexpected turn when one weekend morning they go out shopping and encounter an escaped prisoner. Frank (Josh Brolin) forces Adele and Henry to take him to their home where he can hideout and recover from a wound after escaping from a hospital where the prisoner was being treated for appendicitis. At first Adele and Henry are frightened of course, but Frank treats them well and even ends up doing most of the house work. The events that take place during the Labor Day weekend end up changing all their lives forever.

The film tries to balance the suspense and romance, but due to the premise it never seems believable. For instance their's Frank who has to force this family to take him to their home where he should be hiding out and recovering, but he ends up cleaning the place and teaching Henry how to play baseball in the yard. He also teaches them how to cook pies, of course a necessary plot point in order for the audience to forgive Frank for literally taking the family hostage. It also gives the film an excuse to allow Frank and Adele to fall in love with each other, but that seemed completely implausible considering the situation. I never bought into the story and it all felt forced and awkward. Even the friendship blossoming between Henry and the girl from Chicago that had just arrived felt awkward and every single conversation they had felt like an excuse to build unnecessary suspense. I don't consider myself cynical and I tend to enjoy some romantic dramas, but this was one that never felt authentic and where every situation seemed improbable. Labor Day is an unlikely romance that simply didn't work for me and wasted the talents of Winslet and Brolin. The third act is better than the first two, but it just comes a bit too late and it is founded on a relationship I never believed in the first place.

My Review: The Great Gatsby (7/10)

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness."

If there was ever a film that could benefit from director Baz Luhrmann's excesses in art direction and visuals then The Great Gatsby is that film. They weren't called the "Roaring 20's" for nothing and boy does Baz really go all the way with the visual spectacle during the first 40 minutes of the film. Many people think Baz's films are a bit pretentious, but I disagree because he is just an ambitious director who knows how important art direction can be in a film. I was one of the few who enjoyed Baz's epic film, Australia, but he is better known for his Academy Award nominated film Moulin Rouge. In The Great Gatsby he takes F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous novel and adapts the familiar story to his highly artistic vision. Fans of the novel might not enjoy the liberties that Baz takes in his adaptation, but since I had never read the story before I had a fun time watching this visually splendid film. The novel has been adapted many times on film before, but this is the first time I got to know about The Great Gatsby and perhaps I was more enamored by the tragic love story because I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't enjoy the 40 minute build up as much as I did getting to see the narration play out once Gatsby appears on film. The performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan were way above the rest of the cast. I wasn't a big fan of Tobey Maguire here, but he wasn't bad either. The best thing about The Great Gatsby, beside the fabulous characters and narrative that Fitzgerald created, is the artistic direction and costume design that transports us to the Roaring 20's. Some critics believe that the spectacle replaces the heart of the story here, but I actually thought there was a lot of heart to it. 

Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) narrates the events that took place during the summer of 1922 shortly after he had moved to New York City from the Midwest. It was a time of wealth so he decided to abandon his dreams of becoming a writer in order to work in Wall Street and chase the American dream. He moves into a small house right across the lake from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan) who is married to one of the richest men in the south, Tom Buchanon (Joel Edgerton). The talk of the city however has to do with the presence of Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), a new millionaire who throws gigantic parties for everyone. No one happens to know much about him, but Nick's house is right next door to his mansion. Nick befriends Gatsby and thinks very highly of him for the class of person he is; very different from anyone he's met. Gatsby asks Nick to invite his cousin Daisy for tea and soon Nick discovers something interesting about Gatsby's past and his relationship with Daisy. 

I know that novels are usually way better than films so I really want to read Fitzgerald's classic novel now because I was captivated by the story here. It is tragic, but has a lot of heart and I felt that Baz did get to show that in his film despite all the visual spectacles. Leonardo DiCaprio is always really captivating on film and here once again he proves his unique talents as the Great Gatsby. DiCaprio played Romeo in Baz's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet several years ago, but he has really matured now as an actor. Baz incorporated modern music to the 20's era and that may come as a shock to some viewers (seeing everyone dance swing to modern hip hop) but I thought the effect worked well in this movie. Baz really captured the spirit of the era and I think he is a bit underrated as a director. I don't know if I would've enjoyed this film as much if I had read the novel before, but as someone coming into this film without any prior knowledge of Gatsby I was blown away by the story and the characters.

Rating: 7,6/10

My Review: Brothers (7/10)

¨I don't know who said 'only the dead have seen the end of war'. I have seen the end of war. The question is: can I live again? ¨

Jim Sheridan directs this melodrama that focuses on family and the impact war has on all of it`s members, not just the soldiers. Most of Sheridan`s films focus on family, such was the case in In the Name of the Father, In America, and The Boxer. In Brothers the main problem Sheridan had to face was that there were two other war movies released during the same year that had much more critical success: Oscar winner The Hurt Locker and The Messenger, and out of the three Brothers was the weakest. Brothers was based on the 2004 danish film of the same name written and directed by Susanne Bier. The screenplay for this american version was written by David Benioff. The story may seem a little forced during some scenes, such is the case when the family is dinning together for Maggie`s birthday near the end of the movie and Isabelle burts and says something that doesn`t feel real because it is not something a little girl would say. Some scenes were just forced for more melodramatic effects. Many people might be divided over the story, some liked it a lot others hated it, but what no one can deny is that the performances were great. Toby Maguire gives the performance of his career and I think he really deserved an Oscar nomination, but I guess the Academy didn`t think so since they had already nominated Renner for The Hurt Locker and Harrelson for The Messenger. I thought the kitchen breakdown scene by Maguire was one of the best of the year. Natalie Portman was excellent as well, the two child actresses were really believable, and Jake Gyllenhaal gives his best performance since Brokeback Mountain. Brothers is a movie I enjoyed more because of the performance from the cast then the actual story.

Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is a Marine Captain who has to return to Afghanistan for his second tour in a few days. Meanwhile he is enjoying time with his family back home: his beautiful wife Grace (Natalie Portman), and his two young daughters Isabelle (Bailee Madison) and Maggie (Taylor Geare). Before leaving for Afghanistan Sam gets to pick up his younger brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), from jail and brings him home. The family gets together for dinner along with Sam`s parents Hank (Sam Shepard) and Elsie (Mare Winningham). Tension between Hank and Tommy is felt from the first moment they sit together for dinner as Hank always speaks well of Sam and criticizes Tommy for always being trouble. Sam has a good relationship with his brother and always tries to defend him. Sam leaves for Aghanistan and suffers an accident on one of his missions. Two marines visit Grace and let her know that Sam has passed away, but the truth is that he has survived and been taken prisoner by Afghan rebels, but we are the only ones who know this because the director has decided to share this information with us. Meanwhile Grace is devastated and tries to be strong for her two young daughters who she really loves. Tommy is also devastated by his brother`s loss and decides to help Grace out with the kids and remodeling the kitchen. As time goes by Tommy`s relationship with Grace and the kids grows and he even seems to redeem himself in his father`s eyes. While Tommy is reconstructing his life, Sam is being tortured and suffering physical and psychological damage, and we are waiting for him to be rescued and see what happens.

The movie is mildly succesfull because of the performance from the entire cast. The story suffers from being a bit melodramatic, but it is still worth a watch. It is mostly a character driven film as we see how war takes its toll on family. Sam was a great husband and loving father before the incident, and Tommy was kind of the black sheep in the family. Sam`s supposed death brings a reversal of roles as Tommy takes care of the kids and befriends them while giving Grace the emotional support she needs. Sam on the other hand suffers so much psychological pain that he changes completely because he was forced to do things he never imagined possible. During the movie I was really hoping this wouldn`t turn out to be another Pearl Harbor as we could see the events unfolding before our eyes, but Sheridan stays away from that and focuses on the psychological impact on the family. I know I haven`t stopped repeating how much I enjoyed the performance from the cast, but I was truely suprised by the two child actresses who really were great on screen. It was the best performance by children on screen I have seen in quite some time. This movie is worth your time for the solid acting although the plot has its weak moments.

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