Georgia Rule Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
In this family, attitude doesn't skip a generation.
Mother. Daughter. Grandmother. In this family, attitude doesn't skip a generation.
Some families buckle under pressure...others bloom.
Sometimes you have to lose your way to find your family.
Lohan attacks the village people.
Rachel comes to stay with her Grandmother Georgia for the summer leaving some obvious problems behind at home. Her alcoholic mother doesn't even stay the night before rushing back out to California to be with her husband. Rachel shakes up the town, a beautiful girl in the boring Mormon country. Then she reveals her deepest secret to one of her new friends, and her mother comes rushing back to find out if its true. In the midst of this crisis the three woman become closer than ever and start to understand each other more.
| Jane Fonda | Georgia |
| Lindsay Lohan | Rachel |
| Felicity Huffman | Lilly |
| Dermot Mulroney | Simon |
| Cary Elwes | Arnold |
| Garrett Hedlund | Harlan |
| Hector Elizondo | Izzy |
| Dylan McLaughlin | Sam |
| Zachary Gordon | Ethan |
| Laurie Metcalf | Paula |
| Tereza Stanislav | Violin Teacher |
| Fred Applegate | Townie #1 |
| Cynthia Ferrer | Townie #2 |
| Destiny Moore | Waitress |
| Adreana Betan | Izzy's Niece |
| Garry Marshall |
5.60 out of 10 (4675 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Good Acting, Lousey Story
posted on 24 Aug 2009After seeing this movie my summary is that it is well acted, but the story sucks. Jane Fonda gave an excellent performance and I know her father Henry Fonda would not have liked the story. It is about a spoiled brat who spend part of the summer with her grandmother played by Jane Fonda. The story just drags on and in my opinion it has sex as the attention getting story line. What a change from the writers of year ago when they had the ability to write a good, interesting story with a solid subject line. My recommendation would be to pass this by and watch Fonda in great stories like On Golden Pond, where it was an excellent performance and a great story. Skip this one and save your money.
Rubbish relieved by a few scenes of good acting
posted on 16 Aug 2009This film presents an extended family which has some problems: problems of emotional rigidity, alcohol addiction, drug addiction, sexual abuse, statutory rape, compulsive sexual behavior, religious differences, cultural differences, serious personality disorders, grief for a dead spouse and all this mixed with just the usual adolescence.And all these problems can be resolved with a few chats, a few tears and few heartfelt hugs.Not at all a comedy, this is an attempt at drama that is as subtle as a hand grenade.There are some scenes and moments of magic when the acting succeeds despite the absurd script. However none of the magic is produced by Jane Fonda who should now pretend she has never heard of this film.
Georgia Rule In Idaho(California)
posted on 16 Aug 2009I have to say that I was really disappointed when I went to start writing a review for this film. According to the page for this film the location shooting never got out of the state of California. I really did think that they actually shot this film in Idaho. I guess in a sense I have to tip my hat to the location managers and set designers for what they did.That being said the film is about three generations of females in one family. Mom, Felicity Huffman, is having all kinds of behavioral problems with daughter Lindsay Lohan growing up in worldly San Francisco. So she's shipping her off to Hull, Idaho to stay with her grandmother, Jane Fonda. Fonda's an old hand at dealing with rebellious kids as Felicity was and is quite the wild child in her day. Of course all three generations come to an agonizing reappraisal of their situation and in that fateful summer they get to know each other better.Life does imitate art because the film is now getting reams of publicity due to Lindsay Lohan's behavioral problems in real life. And of course Jane Fonda back in the day was no stranger to being a rebellious individual. She still has a few detractors, me included, for visiting and broadcasting from a country we were at war with. Still you can't deny the talent gene.In Georgia Rule's favor also is that it does sort of put a lie to that old line about there being no women's roles written these days. The female players definitely have center stage here.There are three substantial male roles that are filled nicely, Dermot Mulroney as the town veterinarian and Huffman's former sweetheart, Cary Elwes as Huffman's sleazy husband and Lohan's stepfather and Garrett Hedlund as the young Mormon kid Lohan first seduces then falls for. In many ways Hedlund has the most interesting part in the film.Best scene for me, Lohan's confrontation with the girlfriends of Hedlund's former girlfriend. Has to be seen and I have no doubt she would have carried out her 'threat' to them.It's a good film, it has both it's serious and comic moments nicely blended.
Garry Marshall goes serious... but fails
posted on 04 Aug 2009Hollywood just can't get Red States, and it's almost pathetic to watch Hollywood's efforts to understand them. The idea of Jane Fonda playing an honest woman in Idaho is outrageous. Robert Redford, in "The Horse Whisperer", had the good sense to cast Dianne Wiest in the same role as Jane Fonda ostensibly played here. Jane Fonda's no Dianne Wiest. Or how about Dermot Mulroney, who plays the only acceptable male role? But he's lost and almost gay. Just like the guy who played a Mormon was no Mormon.In this sense, Georgia Rule is all wrong. Garry Marshall is trying to do better than Robert Redford. Marshall fails. Marshall should have stuck to facile, urban, young girl comedy. He can do it, and do it well. There's an underlying, base plot about child abuse that is on, then off and then on again. Do we believe the accusations? Finally, I lost interest - I was too confused. (I can appreciate the nuance of Polanski directing Dunaway in Chinatown, but not Marshall directing Lohan in Georgia Rule.)Nevertheless, I liked this movie, and I enjoyed watching it. I wasn't bored. Marshall knows how to direct, and make an entertaining movie.
Garry Marshall brings another emotional and moving story to screen
posted on 17 Jul 2009I suppose ultimately my expectations weren't high going into Georgia Rule considering the lack luster reviews by critics and the ongoing poor press of it's young star Lindsay Lohan but I forgot one key element...the director. Garry Marshall is brilliant!! He has done some of the most entertaining films in history including my personal favorite The Princess Diaries, as well as Pretty Woman, Beaches and a host of absolutely classic Television shows. Marshall has a way of capturing reality, he has a way of making us fall in love with his characters and be riveted by their lives and what happens to them. He just makes his films come alive and Georgia Rule is no exception to Marshall's rule. The film is a little more gritty and dark, perhaps a little more adult than what Marshall usually delves into but that being said it still has it's charm, it still has a dark, twisted humor to it and it still has Hector Elizondo (who Marshall likes to cameo or feature in his films.) The cast is brought together very well and everyone works well together in it and you love being a part of the daily routine of the small town. There is enough drama, emotion, comedy, and overall scenes of pure joy to make this a good movie.I'll start with Jane Fonda. As famous as she is this is only the second movie I've ever seen her in...the first was Monster-In-Law and I became an instant fan of hers. Her comic timing, her character and her performance was downright brilliant. In this turn she is Georgia, a firm and dedicated woman who lives on her own and but is well known to the townspeople. She has a set way to do things and no one is going to tell her otherwise. Georgia is terrific...the perfect match for Fonda and does a great job. Fonda is such a talented actress and Hollywood elite and she lights up the screen and yet still comes across as this down home, lovable character. My only complaint is that she wasn't used more in the film than she was. Felicity Huffman, I became a big fan of after watching the brilliant film Transamerica where she played a man wanting to go through the transformation into a woman...her performance was amazing. In Georgia Rule she plays the daughter of Jane Fonda's Georgia, Lilly. Now Lilly hasn't always appreciated her mother's firm nature and has had a rough go of it battling alcoholism, two marriages and her wild and uncontrollable daughter. Huffman isn't the forefront of the story but she adds a lot of emotion to her role. Her battle with alcoholism and her daughter and her estranged second husband give way to some very powerful moments. She is a great actress. And now we tread lightly into the world of the recently arrested Miss Lindsay Lohan. We all heard she was nearly fired from this film for her wild ways and I mean her role in this film must strike so close to home it hurts. As Rachel, Lohan plays a confused and messed up post high school graduate who likes her recreational drugs, drinking and random sexual encounters. She doesn't want to listen to so called 'authority figures' and thinks her life is just fine but she's hiding a devastating secret. Lohan I thought overall was good...she didn't match the performances of her senior performers but to go up against Jane Fonda is pretty impressive. She has some great lines and she definitely pulls off the firecracker role very well. Also on the plus side she looks relatively healthy considering her real life health issues as of late. Dermot Mulroney is also very good and actually shows some life to his usually rather dull performances as local Doctor/Veterinarian Simon. Simon becomes almost like a father figure to Rachel and is the one to really bring her back around to coming to terms with herself and her issues. Mulroney is a good addition to the cast. Cary Elwes rounds out the cast as Rachel's stepfather and Garrett Hedlund as her love interest. Elwes is appropriately normal looking but still becomes the villain in a different way and you want to see him get his just end. Hedlund is okay as the naive and love struck Harlan. He comes across as a bit of a dolt which is okay but ultimately you don't want the main romantic interest to be downright stupid. Naive is one thing.Despite it's serious content (the film is about sexual abuse and coming-of-age in a different sort of way...something director Garry Marshall does with style always) the film has some genuinely funny moments. I wouldn't hesitate to see this film again because there was something charming about it and ultimately it did have it's happy ending although my one big complaint is that Cary Elwes' character never truly gets what's coming to him. I wanted to see Lohan take her aggressions out on him. However the scene with Jane Fonda's Georgia hitting him with the bat is priceless. This film is a classic I think and will go far despite critics and dollar signs. See it!! You'll enjoy it!! 8.5/10
The Difference Between Truth and Lie
posted on 15 Jul 2009The rebel, reckless and spoiled teenager Rachel Wilcox (Lindsay Lohan) travels from San Francisco to the conservative Mormon Hull, Idaho, with her alcoholic mother Lily (Felicity Huffman) to spend the summer with her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda). Rachel and Lily have a troubled relationship and Georgia follows severe rules at her home. While with Georgia, Rachel reveals a traumatic secret from her past that explains her rebelliousness and brings her mother back to Idaho to check whether her daughter is telling the truth.The screenplay of "Georgia Rule" is unusual, beginning with comedy but developing in a touching drama related to child abuse and relationship among three generations of the same family. The lead female characters are dysfunctional: Rachel lies, uses drugs and booze and behaves like a slut, with no sense of morality; her mother Lily is an alcoholic woman; and her grandmother Georgia does not express her love with her tough rules. The story is engaging, funny in many moments and heartbreaking in others, and shows the importance of the truth, no matter how painful it is, and family bonds to help to supersede problems and difficulties. The gorgeous Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman are amazing, but Jane Fonda performs a strange but fair character. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Ela é A Poderosa" ("She is The Powerful")
This movie was so much better than I thought it would be
posted on 13 Jul 2009I watched Georgia Rule for the first time several weeks ago, fully prepared to be disappointed; I have now seen the movie several times and appreciate it more each time I see it. While it is by no means a perfect film, it is much better than the critics made it out to be at the time of its release, and deserved much better marketing that it received at the time of its release. There are flaws in the film, to be sure - inexplicable, jarring camera shots, and holes in the story that are never sewn together. But there are also many really good moments, and some terrific acting by Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman, and especially, surprisingly, Lindsay Lohan. In a way, I get irritated when I watch this movie, because I see how good Lindsay Lohan is, and how she has the potential for greatness - and how her personal life seems to be eclipsing her considerable talent. It's a damn shame, and I truly hope someone can talk some sense into the girl, because after seeing Georgia Rule, I think she has the ability to be a fine actress - who knew?
I guess comedy is really just another side of tragedy
posted on 13 Jul 2009Sadly, most audiences are probably giving this film a negative reception, though it is one of the most assured pieces of this year. Jane Fonda is back, with her stoic, nonsensical acting, lending gravitas to the piece. That should be enough warning that the piece is not going to be a silly comedy, but a piece dealing with darker and forbidding issues.To begin with, every behavior has a source, and the rather impulsive, self-destructive defense mechanisms of the Lohan character have a horrible beginning. She alledges some misconduct on the side of a male relative, and this sets off a series of storms that eventually lead to a satisfying conclusion. The frustrating part of the movie is not that anyone is bad, but that much more can be expected from all the participants. Jane Fonda does light supporting work as the skeptical grandmother than is afraid to lose her footing by changing routines. She is perspective but ineffective when providing solace. In fact, she messed up raising her own daughter, now a victim of her own demons and facing a new tragedy, with her daughter's own crisis.Marshall does well with the darker themes, and he has cast the film beautifully, with Lindsay Lohan proving she is a girl fully able to show the many facets of a troubled character. She is also funny (in a defensive way), sympathetic, and never a true victim. She shows the strength that skipped a generation in her family and reluctantly accepts her grandmother's approach to life."Georgia Rule" suffers not from its material but Hollywood's silly approach in marketing a film that should have been treated with more respect.
Recycled feminism
posted on 11 Jul 2009It is not that is a bad film, it is just that the whole story is hollow. You've seen it before: strong women, usually belonging yo the same family, having weird yet mostly amusing quirks, entertain the audience with their sparkly and refreshing relationship. Male characters are just for decoration, cardboard clichés with nothing better to do than either fall in love with the complicated women, either being total jerks.Women might enjoy this movie more than I did, but it is hardly average. There are some good jokes and there is decent acting in it. The script wanted to be something like an onion being peeled away, showing layer upon layer of familial complexity, but they either run out of imagination or out of money by the end of the first half.
Love is there after all
posted on 09 Jul 2009Despite the harsh relationship shown first among the three women (mother, daughter and granddaughter) with so cruel words each one tells the other two, love finishes to prevail because it's there. It may prove that love is always there among close members of the same family even when personal behaviour, family upbringing or even social conditions tend to separate them and make them to hate each other. And this is a predominantly feminine movie since female characters are here much more important than men's and very well performed by the three actresses with special prominence to Jane Fonda in one of the best roles of her career as the granddaughter who tries to impose strict rules to her ill behaved daughter and granddaughter. Though we don't see here a particularly deep psychological analysis of characters we can say the movie is honest and true in the sense that there is nothing implausible in the story or the characters and that it could happen to any of us or to our families in this society of ours where moral freedom and permissiveness is the rule. Remarkable is also the contrast between the behaviour of the Californian girl and the puritanical standards of the little rural town in Idaho and the scandal caused by the former. This movie is not a masterpiece but can be rated as a good one.
Idaho
posted on 07 Jul 2009I don't think the people who wrote this movie have ever actually been to Idaho. It's not the hellhole they portray, it's a beautiful country and Mormons aren't really that crazy, I know, my school was about 50% LDS. Crazy people don't know anything about Idaho, it's the crazy Californians that have screwed up this state!!!! To me this movie is about Lindsay Lohan trying to get more famous by not wearing bra the ENTIRE movie, and acting like the crazy/party girl she has really become. I don't understand why someone would find this movie entertaining, it's about the screwed up people that come and ruin a beautiful state with bad family morals.
Georgia May Rule...But This Movie Sure Doesn't
posted on 07 Jul 2009I am uncertain what to make of this misshapen 2007 dramedy. Attempting to be a new millennium cross-hybrid between On Golden Pond and The Prince of Tides, this film ends up being an erratic mess shifting so mercurially between comedy and melodrama that the emotional pitch always seems off. The main problem seems to be the irreconcilable difference between Garry Marshall's sentimental direction and Mark Andrus' dark, rather confusing screenplay. The story focuses on the unraveling relationship between mother Lilly and daughter Rachel, who have driven all the way from San Francisco to small-town Hull, Idaho where grandmother Georgia lives. The idea is for Lilly to leave Rachel for the summer under Georgia's taskmaster jurisdiction replete with her draconian rules since the young 17-year old has become an incorrigible hellion.The set-up is clear enough, but the characters are made to shift quickly and often inexplicably between sympathetic and shrill to fit the contrived contours of the storyline. It veers haphazardly through issues of alcoholism, child molestation and dysfunctional families until it settles into its pat resolution. The three actresses at the center redeem some of the dramatic convolutions but to varying degrees. Probably due to her off-screen reputation and her scratchy smoker's voice, Lindsay Lohan makes Rachel's promiscuity and manipulative tactics palpable, although she becomes less credible as her character reveals the psychological wounds that give a reason for her hedonistic behavior. Felicity Huffman is forced to play Lilly on two strident notes - as a petulant, resentful daughter to a mother who never got close to her and as an angry, alcoholic mother who starts to recognize her own accountability in her daughter's state of mind. She does what she can with the role on both fronts, but her efforts never add up to a flesh-and-blood human being.At close to seventy, Jane Fonda looks great, even as weather-beaten as she is here, and has the star presence to get away with the cartoon-like dimensions of the flinty Georgia. The problem I have with Fonda's casting is that the legendary actress deserves far more than a series of one-liners and maternal stares. Between this and 2005's execrable Monster-in-Law, it does make one wonder if her best work is behind her. It should come as no surprise that the actresses' male counterparts are completely overshadowed. Garrett Hedlund looks a little too surfer-dude as the naïve Harlan, a devout Mormon whose sudden love for Rachel could delay his two-year missionary stint. Cary Elwes plays on a familiar suspicious note as Lilly's husband, an unfortunate case where predictable casting appears to telegraph the movie's ending.There is also the omnipresent Dermot Mulroney in the morose triple-play role of the wounded widower, Lilly's former flame and Rachel's new boss as town veterinarian Dr. Simon Ward. Laurie Metcalf has a barely-there role as Simon's sister Paula, while Marshall regular Hector Elizondo and songsmith Paul Williams show up in cameos. Some of Andrus' dialogue is plain awful and the wavering seriocomic tone never settles on anything that feels right. There are several small extras with the 2007 DVD, none all too exciting. Marshall provides a commentary track that has plenty of his trademark laconic humor. There are several deleted scenes, including three variations on the ending, and a gag reel. A seven-minute making-of featurette is included, as well as the original theatrical trailer, a six-minute short spotlighting the three actresses and a five-minute tribute to Marshall.
Totally ;misleading trailer...But a terrific movie. NOT for kids
posted on 29 Jun 2009We start all of our reviews with the following information. My wife and I have seen nearly 100 movies per year for the past 15 years. Recently, we were honored by receiving lifetime movie passes to any movie any time at no cost! So we can see whatever we want whenever we want. The point of this is that CRITICS count for ZERO. Your local critics or the national critics like Ebert are really no different than you or me. The only difference is that they get to write about the movie and are forced to see hundreds of movies whether they want to or not.Therefore, it is our belief that if you get your monies worth for two hours of enjoyment that is good enough for us! We NEVER EVER listen or read the critics. We only care about our friends and those who we know like the same things as us. Well enough about that.A surprise to say the least. The movie trailer for this movie were totally misleading. The company should be fined for the advertising for this film. It will attract the wrong audience. This is NOT for kids. Rated R but many will want to see Linday Lohan with their parents. Not a good idea. Lindsay, Ms. Jane Fonda, and Felicity Huffman are wonderful in this very poignant and said tale of the relationship of mother and daughter and granddaughter.The R rating is what spoils it for the kids. Quite frankly, we didn't feel that the R rated parts were needed for this excellent film.If Ms. Lohan can get her real life together, she is a fine actress. And it was wonderful to see Jane Fonda.. as good as ever and Felicity Huffman gave an equally wonderful performance.Go and see and leave the kids home.
A light hearted dramedy with its heavy moments...
posted on 05 Jun 2009The buzz 'Georgia Rule' garnered from its production was enough to make any individual to drop in to the cinema to find out the outcome of Lindsay Lohan's lack of proffesionalism. However with Garry Marshall directing, one can be assured that his sugar coatings do wonders for films and this is no exception.The performances were phenomenal- over here we have 3 mainstream actresses. Jane Fonda who looks stunning for her age, plays Grandma Georgia, a rule maker who burdens any visitor in her house with her 'Georgia rules.' For comic relied Jane Fonda nails the part of Georgia, and we see an icon in the film industry mellowing herself down to cooler roles - heck she ain't trying to win an Oscar now..?!!? Then there's Felicity Huffman, who proved she can still kick ass on the big screen as much as she could on TV. As Lilly, Huffman's portrayal of a slumping alcoholic, was touching and was a departure from her usual roles. Finally the spotlight of the movie - Lindsay Lohan who unequivocally gave the best performance. This is definitely her most mature role, and she will shock audiences as no one has seen her this grown up. Transcending and unforgettable, Lohan definitely takes the cake as Rachel.The trailer was misleading, and what I expected was Lindsay to be playing another character too much like her ownself - however this movie surfaced the morals of family and trust. Yet another stunner by Marshall.
Not the best movie of all time, but definitely not worth all the pans
posted on 03 Jun 2009After reading others' comments on this film, it sounds like I am simply lucky not to have seen the trailer. As it is, Georgia Rule is a fairly hard-hitting family drama, and I thought it did a great job of showing both the flaws and strengths of three generations of women: Rachel (Lindsay Lohan, who is absolutely great, aside from the semi-valid criticism that she is basically playing herself), a bratty California sex-pot who's been hiding a traumatic secret in the interest of her mother's happiness; Lilly (Felicity Huffman, consistently strong), who clearly loves her daughter despite her struggles with alcoholism and guilt over her role in her daughter's troubles; and the eponymous Georgia (Jane Fonda, fantastic), a somewhat self-centered disciplinarian who honestly takes the interests of her family at heart.I think a lot of the poor reviews for this film are based on the fact that it simply is not a comedy (which I understand is how it was advertised). Even the infamous blow-job scene is actually one of the saddest parts of the whole movie, as Lohan really expresses the pain of a teenager who has come to believe that her sexuality is the only part of her that is worthy of attention.The film itself is by no means Oscar-worthy, but it's not worthy of a Rotten Tomato either. It's a decently engaging family drama about three women who are falling apart and who -- with varying degrees of success -- manage to support each other when they need it most.
An interesting concept
posted on 26 May 2009This movie has a lot of merits. Lindsay Lohan is perfect for this role. The underlying precept is good. The problem? Jane Fonda's character, Georgia, at the end of the movie I still did not have a good grasp on her character and what makes her tick.Still, Lohan moves this movie. At the beginning of the movie what was going on was obvious to me, so i thought, but then I began to doubt it. Finally, it turns out that my initial conception of what was going on was true. This is a strength of this movie, because the doubting of whether or not I was right in the first place kept me engaged. The character of the vet was also perfect for this role.Therefore, don't go into this movie with high expectations but go in for an enjoyable, thought-provoking movie.
Well, that was unexpected
posted on 26 May 2009This movie was NOT marketed appropriately. At all.I went into the cinema expecting a light, cliché, feel-good movie. What I saw was much more serious than expected. While it did have some humour, mostly it was a fairly hard-hitting look at the effects of child sexual abuse and the consequences of the abuse coming out into the open.The performances in the movie were all pretty solid. Lohan really shone in this role. Early on in the movie, I thought it really seemed as though she was essentially playing herself, especially after hearing about her various antics off-screen. She really did well in this role.
A very solid and gripping movie until the last 20 minutes
posted on 24 May 2009As noted 1000 times already this movie is not what it was marketed to be. For those of us who work in the field of child abuse it is a spot-on account of the struggle a young person feels when caught up in an incestuous family life. Lohan is astonishingly successful in creating Rachel, a character who like so many teens afflicted in this way, is both deep and cleverly superficial. In fact, Rachel explains quite well and with reasonable sensitivity the victim's persistent search for someone who when given the chance, will not harm her -- and her disappointment in having not found that healing experience. Jane Fonda's role is less significant here -- which surprised me. It is not really Georgia and her rules that bring about the change in this girl, but her own exploration of her flawed sexuality and the way in which it came into being. Most troubling was the role of Felicity Huffman as the mother who ends up being mostly a drunken caricature of the non-offending parent. However, until the scene at Simon's apartment the movie generally works as Lohan struggles against her own confused feelings for each of her family members.At the very moment Simon deftly refuses her advances the film drops off a cliff and never recovers. The scene is beautifully set for her to finally find someone who can care for her (as he himself puts it) as a father or friend and not as a sexual partner. And Simon plays his role with sensitivity and honesty. Then Lohan's Rachel essentially pats him on the arm and says "oh gee thanks!." Unlike her moving response to the early entrapment of the Mormon boy in the boat, the rest of her scene with Simon is strikingly silly -- at the very moment when it should have been most touching. Fortunately for the movie, Dermot Mulroney pulls the scene off without much help from Lohan. But then things being to really hit the skids. Lohan's trip to her stepfather's motel room is actually very creepy and uncomfortable -- and not in a way that builds much empathy for Rachel. That she wants to sacrifice herself for her mother is admirable and actually very realistic in these situations. That she chooses to do so by proposing she has a video tape of her stepfather's sexual abuse is cringe-worthy at best. There are about 100 ways they could have made this point at this juncture of the film and this is pretty much the last one that should have been chosen.The final scenes do not fair better. Mother Lilly's realization in the car that step-dad is buying off Rachel with a car doesn't really make any sense. Rachel did not make that deal with him at all and it is nonsense to think that she would take such a bribe. What she bargained for was her mother's happiness (see creepy motel scene above) not her own self- gain. It would have been far more moving for Lilly to pick upon on something Georgia said earlier and to suddenly "just know" that her daughter was telling the truth "because you are a part of me." They set that one up beautifully and then just let it drop in favor of this odd scene.Worse, is the stepfathers icky confession of having molested the girl and that "she liked it" before he drives away leaving Lilly on the side of the road. Having worked this circuit many times, I can safely say that there is no chance this guy would have behaved in this manner -- and a better plot development would not have required him to do so.In short, the last 20 minutes of the film nearly ruin an otherwise superb and complex effort. In my layman's analysis I would estimate that this film got seriously damaged in the cutting room. It goes slowly and intricately through 100 minutes of detail and development and then simply runs out of time and steam when it matters most. It's worth watching to have a better understanding of the inner struggles and turmoils of a sex abuse victim and her disturbed family dynamic. But the drop at the end -- and a few other improbable plot twists -- take it from being a good file into a pretty mediocre one.
Ignore the hype, watch the movie
posted on 22 May 2009Like many others, I was scared off by the bad hype and marketing associated with this movie. I watched it on HBO recently and was very pleasantly surprised. I shouldn't have been, because the three leads, Jane Fonda, Felicity Huffman and Lindsay Lohan, are all talented actors with impressive resumes. Ms. Lohan impressed me greatly with her performance in "Prairie Home Companion" with heavyweight talents Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin surrounding her. Once again, she turns in a fine performance along with Ms. Fonda and Ms. Huffman. The rest of the cast supports the three ladies well. All in all, a good effort. I rated it a 7. Lesson learned, don't judge a movie by its marketing. Studios tend to not know what they have.
It's pretty good, the ending just flopped though
posted on 28 Aug 2009I'm not sure why I decided to rent Georgia Rule, but I guess you could just color me intrigued since this is the film that I heard where Lindsay Lohan caused all that trouble on being late constantly or not showing up on set. I really had no idea what this movie was about, but I watched it last night expecting probably an over the top chick flick, but actually it wasn't bad. Over all I would say that the story was very good and the actors did a good job, I mean say what you want about Lindsay, she is a good actress you have to admit. The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the ending, but I'm not going to give that away, it's something you'll just have to see for yourselves. But the rest of the story was really good, funny at times, and very touching.Rachel is a young trouble maker from California coming to Idaho to see her grandmother, Georgia, and stay with her for the summer. Rachel already stirs up quite a bit of trouble around the town when she messes around with a Christian boy, she makes the moves on a widowed man, and the fact that she is very blunt about things. But things take a different turn when she tells Simon, the widower and her boss, that she was molested by her step dad. He tells Georgia and Georgia calls her daughter, Rachel's alcoholic mother, Lily, comes to find out if that's the truth or not, Rachel for once doesn't wanna cause trouble and tells her mom it's all a lie. Georgia won't tolerate this though, she knows there's something wrong and has to let Rachel know that there are people there who love her and remind her the difference between right and wrong.The story was really good I think, some of the characters could have used a little more developing, but it still worked. Was it a chick flick? Oh, yeah. But I think this is one of those rare one's that I don't mind. The girls did a great job on acting, so did Dermot Mulroney who played Simon. The ending was just a bit flat and I felt like there could have been a better conclusion, but you'll see if you watch it. But I would recommend it if you are just looking for a fun little flick for the afternoon. Georgia Rule is a good movie that will make you laugh and will touch your heart.6/10