Evening (Vanessa Redgrave, Claire Danes)

(Amazon UK link)

We’re mostly re-watching films that we haven’t seen for eight or nine years, most of which we have almost entirely forgotten. One of the DVDs I moved to our ‘watch soon’ drawer is ‘Evening’. Neither of us had any memory of having seen it before, although we saw it in October 2014. So we decided to watch it last night. During the film some parts did come back to us, including the inevitable final outcome.

Vanessa Redgrave is perfect as Ann, the central character, drifting in and out of consciousness as she lies, dying, in her bedroom. We don’t learn what’s wrong with her, and it doesn’t much matter. She looks suitably old and frail, visited by her adult daughters Constance (Natasha Richardson) and Nina (Toni Collette). It wasn’t until we saw the ‘extras’ that we discovered that Natasha Richardson is Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter in real life.

As Ann thinks about her life, which she feels hasn’t been all that worthwhile, she recalls vividly a weekend about fifty years earlier when she was chief bridesmaid at her friend Lila’s wedding. The young Ann is played by Claire Danes, and Lila by Mamie Gummer. Lila is from a wealthy family, and Ann apparently hasn’t visited their huge house before. She arrives with Lila’s younger brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) whom she clearly knows well, and who shows her around. Buddy, we quickly learn, is not happy - he drinks far too much and tries to turn everything into a joke.

Then there’s Harris (Patrick Wilson) who grew up as the son of one of the family servants. But Buddy treated him like a brother, and Harris has long left home and is qualified as a doctor. Lila was in love with Harris as a teenager, and Buddy thinks she still is… so he pleads with Ann to stop her getting married to someone whom she likes and respects very much, but isn’t in love with.

I found the storyline a bit confusing at first, switching as it does between the present Ann on her deathbed and the young, vivacious Ann who’s a little awkward as a person, but a beautiful singer. I couldn’t remember whether the wedding went ahead or not, or what happened with Harris, or Buddy, though there are hints quite early in the book suggesting that not everything is going to turn out well during the wedding weekend.

By the time I’d been watching for about ten minutes, I was completely hooked by this film which is beautifully made. It could have been morose or depressing, but instead it’s encouraging and ultimately quite uplifting. There’s a little bit of low-key humour - the elderly Ann, a couple of times, sees her staid night-nurse (Eileen Atkins) as someone angelic - or perhaps a fairy - although even these scenes are laced with poignancy.

The sisters Constance and Nina seem to squabble unpleasantly in a way I found unbelievable when we first saw this. But now, realising that it stemmed partly from their grief, and partly their unusual and sometimes stressful upbringing (as well as quite stark personality differences) it felt realistic, albeit sad; yet even these acrimonious interchanges are alternated with evidence of deep connection between the two.

Meryl Streep makes a brief appearance towards the end, as the adult Lila - and, as I had recalled, Streep is the actual mother of Mamie Gummer who plays young Lila, so that worked exceptionally well.  Lila and Ann share a moving scene that mirrors a similar one from the morning of Lila’s wedding day.

All in all, we thought it a lovely film despite the subject matter, and appreciated the extras - a few deleted scenes that were well worth seeing, and a good ‘making of’ documentary that wasn’t too long.

The rating is 12 (PG-13 in the US) which seems about right; there’s nothing explicit and only one instance of ‘strong’ language, but there are a couple of quite disturbing scenes and the subject matter isn’t appropriate for children.

Highly recommended.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Maid in Manhattan (Jennifer Lopez)

(Amazon UK link)

We wanted to watch something light, not too deep and not too long. We hadn’t seen ‘Maid in Manhattan’ since 2011, shortly after we acquired it, and although we had entirely forgotten the storyline, it looked as though it would meet our requirements.

The main character in this film is Marisa (Jennifer Lopez) who works as a maid at a hotel in Manhattan. She is a single mother raising her son Ty, who must be about eight or nine. His father is notoriously unreliable, regularly promising to do things with him and then letting him down at the last minute. Ty is a likeable boy, very realistically played by Tyler Posey but quite lacking in self-confidence. We see him, early in the film, forgetting a speech he has been working on, as he becomes nervous.

Marisa works hard and conscientiously, and is very good at her job. So when a position comes up in management, her colleagues think she should apply. She’s not at all sure, and is distracted by one of her friends persuading her to try on an extremely expensive outfit belonging to a wealthy socialite called Caroline who is staying at the hotel.

We had remembered this scene, and some of the story started to come back to us as Marisa is mistaken for the wealthy lady in question, after Ty meets another guest - a guy called Chris Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) who is hoping to become a senator. Chris has a large and friendly dog, and Ty loves dogs. The two form a surprising bond, and Chris then sees Marisa dressed up and persuades her to go out for a walk…

In a nutshell, it’s a predictable rom-com, with a strong Cinderella theme. But there are a great many stumbling blocks in the romance, with Caroline (Natasha Richardson) playing the part of a pushy, arrogant ‘ugly sister’. There are some one-liners that made us smile, and some quite poignant scenes too, particularly one where Chris takes the time to help Ty understand how he too becomes nervous when he makes speeches.

But it’s extremely well done, with a good pace, and some excellent supporting cast including Stanley Tucci as Chris’s harassed press officer and Bob Hoskins as the hotel butler. There's good chemistry between the two main characters, and the scenes involving Ty are delightful. There are some thought-provoking comments about how hotel staff can seem invisible, and are sometimes considered inferior to wealthy socialites, but it's not done in a heavy way.

All in all, it was the perfect film for our requirements, and we enjoyed it very much.

Although apparently it was previously rated 12 in the UK, it’s now PG, which seems about right. There’s minor bad language and hints of nudity, but nothing explicit. However I can’t imagine it would be of any interest to anyone under the age of about fourteen or fifteen. In the US it’s rated PG-13.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2020 Sue's DVD Reviews

Widows' Peak (Joan Plowright, Mia Farrow, Natasha Richardson)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t remember why this DVD caught my eye; perhaps, as happens so often, Amazon recommended it to me based on something else I had liked. In any case, I put it on my wishlist and was given it for my birthday in the spring. We decided to watch it last night.

‘Widows’ Peak’ is set in a small Irish town, shortly after the first world war. So many women lost their husbands that this particular neighbourhood has become known as ‘Widows’ Peak’, ruled over the the domineering Mrs Counihan (brilliantly played by Joan Plowright). There are the elite in her circle, and the ordinary people of the town, and they rarely mix.

The one exception to widowhood is Miss O’Hare (Mia Farrow), who comes across as rather outspoken, even angry and it’s a bit of a mystery as to why she is part of the upper crust widows’ circle.

Into the fold arrives Edwina (Natasha Richardson) a young American woman who proceeds to charm almost everyone she meets, including Mrs Counihan’s thirty-something bachelor son Godfrey, who is very much tied to his mother’s apron strings. It’s a bit puzzling as to why Edwina is so taken with him, but no surprise at all that he is very taken with her.

The only person who does not like Edwina is Miss O’Hare who seems to take her in aversion from the start. It all seems rather puzzling, particularly when Edwina tries to offer friendship, only to have it rejected…

I thought the film was going to be a series of cameos of the life of these women, and enjoyed that aspect of it, but I gradually realised that there is also an underlying plot, one which becomes more convoluted towards the end of the film, in a series of unexpected twists and turns.

The scenery is sumptuous, the settings perfect, the acting giving just the right amount of caricature for light-hearted humour. The suspense is built slowly, almost imperceptibly, so that I didn’t quite realise that it was a mystery with a hint of thriller until the climax of the story. I had guessed some parts of the outcome, but not all, and thought it all very clever.

Rated PG, which reflects the lack of major bad language, and the family-friendly nature of the whole film. There are tense moments, and some mild fighting, but nothing to upset or offend anyone. Then again, it's the kind of film that's mostly going to appeal to older adults, and highly unlikely to be of interest to anyone under the age of at least fifteen.

Recommended.

Review copyright 2016 Sue's DVD Reviews

Evening (Vanessa Redgrave, Clare Danes, Mamie Gummer)

(Amazon UK link)

I assume that Amazon recommended this DVD to me because it features Meryl Streep, whom I consider one of the greatest living actresses. I have enjoyed many of her films, and the reviews of this were generally good, so I put it on my wishlist.

‘Evening’ was something I received for my birthday earlier in the year and which we watched last night. The blurb didn’t say much, other than that it was a heart-rending tear-jerker, but the cover looked appealing. We weren’t too sure what to expect, and wondered if it was going to be rather morbid at first, since the main character, brilliantly portrayed by Vanessa Redgrave, is an elderly woman called Ann who is evidently at the last stage of a serious illness. She has two daughters who seem to spend their time arguing; one is a traditional family woman with a career, the other has floated around between different jobs and boyfriends, and admits to being phobic about commitment.

Ann’s mind is evidently wandering somewhat, and when she mentions the name ‘Harris’ as a great mistake of her youth, her daughters wonder if she’s becoming delirious. But we’re then transported back to the 1950s, with Ann as a young woman (Clare Danes) going to her best friend’s wedding. Her friend Lila (Mamie Gummer) lives in a huge house, and is quite conventional; but her brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) is convinced that she’s about to make a terrible mistake in marrying the upright (and dull) Karl.

Buddy then introduces Ann to Harris, a doctor who is the son of the former family housekeeper. Everybody, it seems, is in love with Harris - and Ann quickly falls under his spell.

To say much more would be to give spoilers of a film that owes more to characterisation and scenery than plot. The action (such as it is) switches between the present and the past almost at random, as we gradually see events unfold during the weekend of Lila’s wedding, culminating in a tragedy which is not unexpected (since present-day Ann has mentioned it) but still shocking.

It was quite mesmerising at times, though neither of us found it heart-rending or even tear-jerking. However it was certainly thought-provoking and somewhat moving, although the tearful scenes were just a touch too melodramatic. Themes were about love, and choices; whether or not a life was wasted or fulfilled; the value of friendship, the dangers of jealousy. It was cleverly put together although towards the end there were some decidedly surreal scenes that were amusing rather than poignant, as it became clear that Ann had one foot in the next world already.

Meryl Streep’s cameo role did not appear until near the end, when she played the part of the now elderly Lila; perfectly cast, as the young Lila was played by her daughter. Indeed, most of the acting was very good, although I never quite believed in the drunken, confused Buddy, and I found Ann’s daughters’ bickering to be unrealistic and inappropriate on the whole.

It could perhaps have been cut from 112 minutes to 90 without any real loss, but I didn’t find it dull at all despite being somewhat slow-moving; the ending was less morbid and more upbeat than we had feared and overall I enjoyed it.

The rating is 12 which I think is about right; there’s no real violence, just a few instances of bad language, implied intimacy but no details. The subject matter is unlikely to be of interest to anyone under the age of about 15 in any case.

Recommended if you don’t mind a bit of melodrama, and enjoy meandering character-based thematic dramas.

Review copyright 2014 Sue's DVD Reviews