In The Land Of Women Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Get ready to fall
His world in complete disorder after his break-up with a famous actress, Carter, a young soft-core porn writer, goes to suburban Detroit to care for his sickly Grandmother and heal his broken heart. Along the way he forms a special bond with the family that lives across from his Grandma, and changes the life of each woman. In the course of this, as is required in every film—and thus the world, he changes his own life as well.
| Elena Anaya | Sofia Buñuel |
| Adam Brody | Carter Webb |
| Kelsey Keel | Teenage Girl #1 |
| Danielle Savre | Teenage Girl #2 |
| Gina Mantegna | Teenage Girl #3 |
| Rob Reinis | Avi Rosenberg |
| JoBeth Williams | Agnes Webb |
| Makenzie Vega | Paige Hardwicke |
| Kristen Stewart | Lucy Hardwicke |
| Meg Ryan | Sarah Hardwicke |
| Olympia Dukakis | Phyllis |
| Dustin Milligan | Eric Watts |
| Graham Wardle | Gabe Foley |
| Elise Gatien | Tiffany |
| Christine Danielle | Tanya |
| Jon Kasdan |
6.80 out of 10 (3872 votes)
Visitor Reviews
In The Land Of Beautiful, Complex, Funny and Charming Women
posted on 10 Aug 2009Jon Kasdan's 'In The Land of Women' is an offbeat comedic drama with tremendous depth. Kasdan's writing and direction is first rate. Moreover the splendid dialogues, the intriguing characters and wonderful performances and the intense relationships all come together beautifully. The humour is very subtle but it had me laughing out loud during some of the notable sequences. Yet this does not dilute the intense moments which remain impactive.The story brilliantly unfolds its layers, revealing the dimensions of the characters and their complex dilemmas. The film is full of surprises yet they are relatable and common. Carter is grieving over a failed relationship. Sarah is trying to deal with her marital difficulties and Lucy is faced with the challenges of growing up. Phyllis appears to be more than her grumpy old women reputation.The cast is unusual but Kasdan couldn't have selected better actors. Adam Brody, known more for playing lighter characters, shows growth as an actor. His Carter, though vulnerable in the beginning, he has stamina to grow stronger. Brody proves that he could handle more complex characters. Kirsten Stewart shows impressive improvement in her acting. She could have easily ended up being the typical formulaic girl next door but she displays a charm, vulnerability and stubbornness that makes Lucy come to life. Meg Ryan is terrific. This is quite a change from her romantic comedy roles that made her famous. Ryan's understated performance adds the layers that make her quite a unique character. I particularly liked the scenes between her and Brody as their encounter solidifies into a nameless relationship. Olympia Dukakis is a riot. The actress really seems to have enjoyed playing Phyllis. She's always a treat on screen but here you have to see her to get what I mean.The spacious cinematography gives us a dazzling view of the marvelous Michigan neighborhood. The whimsical soundtrack contributes to the charm. Kasdan takes his time to tell the story but the pace is well maintained and the ending closes the story beautifully. Watch out for Ginnifer Goodwyn's charming cameo.'In The Land Of Women' can be watched as a slice of life. For me it was a very satisfying film experience because of its subtlety, the beauty of the story and characters, the performances, the screenplay and, of course, the direction. I would be looking forward to Kasdan's future projects.
Good Stuff
posted on 17 Jul 2009I don't always leave a movie feeling like everything might actually be OK. But this movie did it. It showed that life sends us in a million different directions. But its OK, cause thats life. As superficial as it might sound, we're alive(Phylis did a good job of showing us this). I think this was an awesome movie, even though it wasn't at all what I expected. However, it's kind of cool to finally be surprised in a movie, unlike the normal predictableness that has become Hollywood.Adam Brody did an extremely exceptional job of playing a guy that didn't know where he was going in life, in the meantime taking care of his grandma, who was convinced she was dieing. On the other hand, Meg Ryan played a sick mother who was trying to mend her broken relationship with her daughter. I feel there's something in the movie for everyone, or at least all women.
Completely misled...
posted on 29 Jun 2009This film is getting a 9 based soley on the completely misleading promotion.I went into this expecting a love story between Carter Webb (Adam Brody) and Lucy Hardwicke (Kristen Stewart). I was expecting a dramatic age-gap romance with an ending about his having to go back to Los Angeles.What I got was a totally confusing love hexagon that ended up not being about love at all.Carter just got dumped. So he decides to go to Michigan to live with his grandmother (who is by far the best and most interesting character) and ends up becoming really close to the women across the street.While it was moving, touching, and all that good stuff, I left the theater with one thought in my mind. "What the hell just happened?" It was fantastic. I would highly recommend it. However, I would not recommend expecting what I did. Don't go into this hoping that the trailers and poster (which show a lovely romance between Carter and Lucy) ring true to the film. That is not at all what the story is about. It would make a great film, in my opinion, and I still wish it had taken that direction, but sadly it did not. While still fantastic, you should expect a film about real people (with many flaws and weaknesses that humans have, like the inability to to stand up for themselves) not a movie like "She's All That" where the two young, good-looking people fall in love with an epic romance.That is not this film. Go see it. But see it to see a great study on characters, not story.
A Quality Drama-Comedy About Relationships
posted on 21 Jun 2009The mainstream drama with comedy continues to improve with time and "In The Land of Women" is no exception. In a return of Meg Ryan along with some new young actors, this movie has some fine moments of focus on higher level emotional and narrative dialogues without the stuffy intellectual performances. There is a rich content of feelings here dealing with good topics without necessarily becoming sappy. One criticism regarding the weak ending can be considered its strength. This storyline of this feature film doesn't follow the typical path of most romance dramas to its credit. More along the line of "Lost in Translation" with a plot, this movie touches more on mood and redirecting the audience to important concepts about relationships and real situations in an entertaining, sometimes funny, sometimes sad delivery. While no Neil Simon perfection and the balance between comedy and drama is off, as only a personal preference, this movie suffers from that difficulty fine balance. Nevertheless its a fine film. Eight out of Ten Stars.
Superb film that needs more recognition than it's getting.
posted on 21 Jun 2009I don't know what it is about the American movie-goer these days, but why is it that movies like this don't get as much recognition as the laugh-out-loud comedy, or the blood-and-gorefest horror flick? It's disappointing to me to see such a great film as In The Land of Women go so unnoticed when compared to other films out right now.This movie is a superb story about a man, Carter Webb (Adam Brody) who gets dumped and moves in with his grandmother (who thinks she's dying). There's so much that goes on, most of which can't be stated flat out without becoming a spoiler, but what Carter ends up with is a beautiful and poignant experience involving family and the complicated lives that make up those families.I hope people don't ignore this movie because they hate The O.C. and Adam Brody. I used to be one of those people, but I would like to try and stress what a great actor Adam Brody is. There's something about him that you love to watch, no matter what he's doing. The role he has been cast into for this movie is perfect for him, and he performs it flawlessly. I hope to see him receive other movie offers because he deserves some recognition beyond the recognition he already has from the teenage fanatics of The O.C.The music in this movie is great. The characters are so real, it almost feels like you live next door to them. You can't help but watch them and go "Yeah, I know what you mean." It's really rare to see anybody so real in a movie as these characters.I highly recommend this film to anyone who's ever wondered "Is everything going to be okay?" As this film will show you, yes, you're going to be okay.
Ryan is Wonderful, but everything else is just kind of there.
posted on 28 May 2009Meg Ryan has always been one of my favorite actresses. I loved her in You've Got Mail, Joe Versus the Volcano, and virtually everything she has ever done. When I saw that she was coming out with a new movie, I was more than excited. In the Land of Women is an interesting look into the lives of several people who live in a small Michigan suburb.Carter (Adam Brody), who happens to write scripts for pornos, has just been dumped by his famous actress/model girlfriend, and decides to go live with his grandmother in Michigan to get over it. His grandmother (Olympia Dukakis) is constantly thinking that she is dying, and is always trying to convince Carter that any minute could be her last. Sarah (played to absolute perfection by Meg Ryan), the woman from across the street, soon comes over to welcome Carter to the neighborhood, and the two become friends. The pair begin to take walks where Carter tells Sarah everything about his painful breakup while she tells him how her daughter resents her. Sarah's daughter Lucy (Kristin Stewart) is the usual angsty teen girl, who's life is filled to the brim with regular, and some not-so-regular, teenage drama. Her boyfriend, the quarterback, is a total jerk and she thinks her mother doesn't care for her at all. When it is discovered that Sarah has breast cancer, Lucy must face her issues with her mother in order to show her that she loves her. Overall, this movie is quite good. Meg Ryan is truly spectacular, and so is her material. The mistake that this film made, however, was shifting its focus from Sarah to Lucy. There have been so many teen movies that have dealt with the same thing, but Sarah's character (due to Meg Ryan) was incredibly original and well-developed. If the story had focused more on the friendship that developed between Carter and Sarah, the film would have been much more effective. Stewart does do a pretty good job with her material, but the applause must be given to Ryan for her exceptional performance. As usual, Adam Brody is his normal cynical and sarcastic self, but his scenes with Meg Ryan were quite good. If you are up for a dramatic film that deals with some of life's greatest challenges, then this one's for you.My Grade: B- (But A+ for Meg Ryan's scenes)
Misleading Title and Terrible Film
posted on 26 May 2009This film can't decide whether it is a serious film dealing with issues such as cancer and the affect on that on a family or a quirky film dipping its toes in the lives of normal folks like you and me. The film is a mess. Part of the time it is quirky film e.g. soft-core porn writing is the occupation of the main character, his grandmother is insane in a comedic way but not really funny in any sense, 10 year old girl who is very sophisticated and does yoga etc. Then there is the serious side that involves cancer, dealing with cancer, marital trouble and generally the issues of all the characters love lives. The overall coldness of this family's lives is the main theme of this side of the film. There is also the matter of Brody's Carter who has just been broken up with and has moved away from LA to get perspective. How original. And guess what, he's writing a book about his experiences. As you can see these are clearly two different movies. There are too many ideas going on here and far too many bad ideas at that. I can't imagine how this is in any way real or true. Adam Brody's part as Carter is to pass between these two ideas and act as a buffer between the funny and the deeply serious. This doesn't work. The whole plot is flawed. Every action taken by the main character is ridiculous. The montage love scenes are old, the party fight scene is again completely ludicrous as you would see if you watched this. The production design is terrible, the camera work is equally bad but you can't stray far from the main problem; a completely absurd script. It's a horror to watch and I can't imagine how anyone could see this film as satisfying in any way or form. Adam Brody was thought of for this no doubt because of his fast talking and comic abilities which would have suited if this was just an offbeat drama. But no, they tried to make it son much more. This is just a case of a film that tried to cover all the bases. Every part of this film has been done before and has been done in a more superior fashion in other movies. In the end this film is a comedy/love story/wacky drama/issue driven film. It is just meaningless and bizarre and it should not have been made.To summarise it is basically a waste of an hour and a half of a life, whatever fee you paid to watch it and the time after watching this muck that you'll spend angry at yourself for getting it in the first place.
A very sound teenage drama that I only wish had been more adult oriented...
posted on 09 May 2009`In the Land of Women' had great potential to be a dramatic and moving character study. Sadly it focuses too much on being appealing to the teenage crowd and so it loses a sense a maturity in parts. It is still a good movie; in fact my wife and I enjoyed it very much, I just feel that it could have, and should have been better. There are things placed within this film that you can tell are there to draw a particular crowd, but then there are moments that scream out with a subtle maturity that I only wish had been consistent throughout.
The film revolves around Carter Webb, a screenwriter for the adult entertainment industry. After his celebrity girlfriend Sophia breaks his heart he decides it would be a good idea for him to leave the L.A. life behind and find himself. So, when his mother informs him that his grandmother is paranoid she may die soon he takes that as his opportunity of escape and makes the trip out to Michigan to visit her. His grandmother Phyllis is apparently delusional, but she a riot and so it's a welcomed delusion. Carter soon meets the Hardwicke's who live across the street from Phyllis. He soon forms an attachment with the mother Sarah and the teenage daughter Lucy and throughout their time together they change each others lives drastically.
The Hardwicke family has a lot of demons trapped in the closet, especially Sarah and Lucy, and for some reason they feel a comfortableness with Carter that allows them to get things off their chest. There is truth in the idea that there lies a certain comfort with strangers and I think that plays a large role in understanding this film. Some have balked at the fact that Sarah and Lucy would not divulge huge family secrets to a complete stranger but I beg to differ. Sometimes we need sounding boards and it's much easier to sound off on someone not emotionally invested in your or your problems, someone that can't judge you because they don't know you. Sarah and Lucy have a lot they keep bottled up because there is no one for them to talk to about, but now they have Carter.
Adam Brody has been breaking out in a large way the past few years due to his stint on `The O.C.' and this is really his first leading role. He handles it well enough. There are certain aspects of his character I felt were forced in order to make him `cool' in the eyes of teenagers and I didn't particularly like that. Kristen Stewart's (can you believe this is the same little girl from `Panic Room'?) character Lucy is another one of those overly clichéd characters. Every stereotype in the book is thrown at her as far as how a rebellious teenage daughter would act. She handles the role decently enough; I just wish they would have given her more. Olympia Dukakis is hilarious as Phyllis and she has some of the most memorable lines. The real standout here though is Meg Ryan who tackles her `sick mom' character with real warmth and conviction. As Sarah you feel really connected to her. I have always love Meg Ryan and really wish she would be given more attention. She is a very capable actress who deserves more accolades for her impressive body of work.
In the end `In the Land of Women' works well. It fleshes out some nice character traits, especially when in regards Carter and Sarah whose relationship is the most interesting of all. I wish they had dropped the stereotypes though; left out the token party scene or the `teenage smoking' bit but it's not really enough to complain too much. There are such sweet moments (one I particularly enjoyed was when Carter sits down to write the children's book he told his grandmother he wrote for a living) that I began to really wish the script had been tweaked to reach an older audience. I guess that is my only complaint. This is a film targeted towards the young when if it had been adjusted to target the middle-aged crowd could have turned into a genuinely moving adult drama. Instead it remains a very well constructed teenage drama. Three and a half stars for a film that with a little more maturity could have easily been four and a half or even five.
A jumbled mess with no laughs, insight or drama
posted on 30 Apr 2009SPOILERS GALORE AHEAD! The cast is very good, the technical aspects of the film are fine, and the directing seems solid (not that the material is challenging), but the screenplay is a train wreck. Too many plots, no laughs, no drama, just an jumble of ideas. Any one of them might have made a good film, with a second as one sub-plot. But in this movie, you get 'em all: Slightly too-old guy falls for slightly too-young girl; Young guy falls for hot-ish mom instead of daughter; Woman deals with cancer; Woman gets closer to teenage daughter; Woman deals with cheating husband; Young guy moves in with ailing, unappreciated grandmother, learns life lessons; Teenage girl realizes she likes geeky sweet kid, not arrogant jock douchebag. ALL of these plots are crammed into the movie, along with a precocious-kid cliché, and none really pay off. Carter is a soft-core porn writer, but this does not influence the plot in any way, nor does it inform us of his character--there's nothing "porn" about him. His relationship with his ailing grandmother has no resonance and is played for laughs(and fails), and Carter learns nothing from her. Sarah must battle cancer knowing her husband is having an affair. She believes it's a secret, but daughter Lucy also knows. But husband Nelson is never called out and never confesses, and Lucy and Mom never learn that they both know of the affair. I kept waiting for the movie to focus--it never did.The soundtrack is a problem too. Great songs, but a loud pop soundtrack does not belong in this film.
Horrible Movie With Terrible Writing
posted on 20 Apr 2009Let me just preface this review by stating that I am a guy. Now, you think that it might create a bias for my opinion, but my girlfriend even apologized for dragging me to this because she hated it just as much as I did. You'll probably find that most people will find this review "not useful", but that's only because they're so defensive of Adam Brody and this God-awful film. *cough*teenage girls*cough* Brody's acting is awful, as usual. The only reason I can come up with for his getting work still is the popularity of the O.C. and his appeal to the younger female crowd. He whines and whines throughout the film and it grows old quickly. Meg Ryan does a decent job in the film, but even she can't save this story.The plot jumps quickly and the story becomes so cluttered that it seems as if it was all done by ear. Brody kisses Meg Ryan, then kisses her daughter, and whines along the way.One example of how bad the writing is can be seen by the youngest daughter of the family. She plays a smart-alecky young'n that is more intelligent than any of the characters around her. While she is genuinely funny, the writers throw all of this out the window when she finds out her mother is sick. She blubbers that she doesn't know what cancer is. Really? This girl is an absolute genius, probably has an IQ of about 300 from what we hear out of her, but she doesn't know what cancer is? Give me a break.The story goes nowhere and by the end it all feels pointless. You know why? Because there's no point. Some people might try and explain how there's themes about human emotion and that it's some kind of art form, but it is just plain awful. Men AND women should avoid this mess at all costs.
An engaging movie about the many facets of human relationships
posted on 01 Apr 2009What struck me most about "In the Land of Women" was the smooth pacing and witty dialogue. The script is intelligent and the cast does a good job too. Adam Brody stars as Carter Webb, a 26-year-old scripwriter who gets dumped by his long-term girlfriend Sophia and decides that he will go to Michigan and attend to his aging grandmother [Olivia Dukakis]. Once there, Carter gets involved in the complicated lives of the family across the street comprising Sarah Hardwicke [Meg Ryan], and her daughters Lucy [Kristen Stewart] and Paige [Mackenzie Vega] - there's also a husband who doesn't really play an important role in the movie.
Anyway, Carter's morose outlook on life due to being dumped slowly lifts as he takes long walks in the neighborhood with Sarah and her dog Bozo. Sarah too has problems of her own - the fact that her husband has been cheating on her, and facing a life-threatening illness. The two bond over these walks and form a true friendship. Things get complicated however when Lucy Hardwicke, Sarah's rebellious daughter enters the picture.
The pacing of the story is done just right and the characters are all credible, even the over-the-top performance of Olivia Dukakis as Carter's eccentric grandmother. The script has some great lines, often delivered in a deadpan manner by Brody. There were a couple of things that didn't quite gel though - for example, the marital problems of Sarah and her husband are not really explored here, just alluded to, and I felt the story didn't really get deep enough into the 'triangle' that develops between Carter, Sarah and Lucy, choosing to stay on neutral ground and not achieving much in the process.
But Carter does grow as a character throughout this movie, and as a viewer, I came to genuinely care about what happened to him and the other main characters. There are quite a few life insights portrayed in this movie which elevated it above just another melodrama. Recommended for those who like dramas about the different facets of relationships.
Waste of time??
posted on 25 Mar 2009I had been looking forward to this movie for weeks. Every time I saw a trailer or ad, I'd become really happy looking at it, and anticipating the film. Adam Brody is relatively new to being on film, not just in "The OC" capacity, and I throughly enjoyed him as Carter Webb. However, I thought that ITLOW lacked in what it mainly advertised, the plot of Brody and Stewart's character was a main lead in the ads, but I was unhappy to find that their scenes were very minimal and basically had little to the plot. Webb seemed to be the lost soul looking for guidance, which he clearly found with Meg Ryan's character. I love Meg Ryan films, but this was probably the first time I found myself pitying her character, and I saw her as almost weak and unfortunate.This movie did have its high points, I loved seeing the interacting between Webb and the younger Hardwicke girls on their "date," and some other moments between Carter and his grandmother.Yet, was totally let down after watching Lucy and Carter's "relationship develop." I suppose that this movie wasn't totally supposed to be about the relationships between Carter and Sarah, and Carter and Lucy, but more about the growth of the mother/daughter relationship, as I came to learn later.I thought the hype for this movie was overrated, and I was actually let down by some of it, but I do see that Adam Brody has a lot to offer in the future, and I can see him doing great projects now that he seen more in the movie capacity.
A Real Film About Real People
posted on 16 Mar 2009This is such a human film...It illustrates the truth that we don't love people because they're perfect because if we did, we'd have no one to love...Every character is flawed and yet each one has a tremendous streak of courage and even some wisdom.
There are REAL teenagers in this film, not the usual sex crazed idiots that are so often featured in today's cinema...
Seldom does one hear such truthful dialog between people who are looking for answers and finding their way....It reaffirms reasons why we should believe in humanity...
A for Effort but somehow isn't as powerful and moving as it could have been
posted on 07 Feb 2009In The Land of Women has a powerful and poignant story about love and growing up and in some ways could be considered a 'coming of age' story for a twenty something guy finding his way. The film is entertaining enough, even has some cute moments to chuckle at but it never really finds it's wings and takes off and there is a few reasons for that. The script first of all and the film making style somehow seems so subtle and just crawls to each scene. It's not that it bores you or anything but it doesn't keep things moving at a proper pace. The other problem I think was in the casting. Given a more talented and ranged leading man the film could have made a real impact because there is some decent performances but they lack a certain passion behind them. The entire film is missing this element of passion that you really want it to have but never really gets a full on dose of it which is unfortunate. The film is just cute...it's just okay and it could have been really something. For Young newcomer Jon Kasdan who wrote and directed the film it is indeed a worth attempt and he gets an "A" for effort and coming close and still managing to make a very watchable film that is hard to hate but also doesn't really give you anything to shout about either.I have no problem with Adam Brody. I was a huge O.C. fan and would love to see him get a decent film career but his range as an actor is incredible limited and will likely always play the sarcastic, snide, slightly withdrawn type that he played in The O.C. and then rebirths with a tiny bit of edge for this film. He has a certain charm when it comes to playing the role of the confused, looking for purpose young man who goes to visit his grandmother but I think he lacked a lot of the passion missing from this film. Up and comer Kristen Stewart who did a terrific job headlining The Messengers (See my review) plays the equally confused coming of age teenage girl Lucy Hardwicke. I predict big things for Ms. Stewart if she can find the right roles and she certainly has the edge necessary and probably gives one of the most passionate roles in this film but still misses the mark a little. The rather strange romance between her and Brody is actually a high point of the film and they have decent chemistry together and mirror each others feelings of their lives. Meg Ryan turns in a very decent performance as Sarah Hardwicke, and definitely gets the most emotion out of her character as you could and should expect. I know Ryan has a decent range of ability and I just felt like she was holding back even in this role. But still she was a great addition to the cast and was probably the best performance of the film.The film certainly has it's moments. I mean the title says it all...Brody's character literally finds himself trying to find his way in the world, and heal from his break up surrounded by completely different women of different generations. His Grandmother, his young teenage next door neighbor and her mother, plus his worried mother and everyone else he comes into contact with. For all the romantic moments in the film you never really get that fuzzy warm feeling because I don't think any of the relationships that blossom or start in the film are particularly romantic. I think the film is much more of a satirical look at romance and growing up and finding your way. Still it's entertaining enough, definitely worth seeing, and won't bore you by any means. I only wish there was more to say about it because it seemed to have such potential that never really gets there but that can be said for many films of great possibilities. 7/10
Surprisingly a BETTER film!
posted on 05 Feb 2009I watched this movie expecting nothing much. Actually I had this Pre-conceived notion that the movie would be awful. And well the movie started and the first 10 minutes did not make much positive effect. And then came Ryan, Meg Ryan. And this bond between Brody and Ryan seemed Acceptable. Then the 30 minutes were over. I won't say I wasn't BORED. I had this notion that I would hate this movie so I was trying my best U SEE!But anyway there comes a Dramatic scene and I found myself completely involved in it. I don't know what happened. And then the movie started kicking in and I finally started really appreciating the movie.Yes it is true that the posters of this movie is Misleading.Actually the girl in the poster hasn't much role. BUT anyways she is good in how much she is given to do.MEG RYAN is completely Magical. She really gives a GREAT performance. If I had the power she would be nominated in the Oscars for best Supporting Actress. Hah ha! I think I am being way too FAR-FETCHED.And Brody the OC guy also does his job to a VERY good extent. Well I liked his work. I think it is time for him to do many movies and leave his OC image behind.I wont say the movie is Extraordinary. It isn't GREAT or Spectacular. But it is Sure good. Though at some points the movie does get that Chick Flick touches. And with some minor flaws, this movie isn't bad at all.I will give it a 8/10. Not it isn't a solid 8 for everyone, its just that I feel like it and I want this movie to have a much better rating in IMDb.
Pretty watchable, has some nice touchy moments!
posted on 12 Jan 20096.4/10~ Devastated over his breakup with his girlfriend, Carter Webb (Adam Brody) leaves L.A. to stay with his wacky Grandma in her suburban Detroit home, across the street from the Hardwicke family. Carter Webb is a young soft-core porn writer who resides in California. Along the way he forms a special bond with the family that lives across from his Grandma, and changes the life of each woman. In the course of this, as is required in every film--and thus the world, he changes his own life as well. He meets the Hardwickes who live next door, the mother (Meg Ryan), the teenager (Kristen Stewart), and the little girl, and they change each others lives forever. As Carter struggles to reconcile his own inner conflicts, he is drawn into the pains and loves of the Hardwicke women -- all of whom, in their way, fall in love with Carter, and all of whom, in their way, help him find his way back. So, is this just another Hollywood romantic flick & the plot that we have seen several times! Not really. This one's definitely something different (the story) than the rest other romantic flicks. The first half of the movie is quite sweet & the second half has some emotional moments. The performances by everyone is quite good. Adam Brody is wonderful, he comes to the big screen with nice performance. Kristen Stewart was fine & so was Meg Ryan. The songs during the movie are okay. Direction Jon Kasdan is soulful, it does touches your soul during various moments in the movie. But, the movie lacks a strong climax, of course the climax could have been presented in a better way to, but never-mind, the director had thought of something different. Nice romantic stuff.
Mopey Look at a Young Writer's Emotional Catharsis Aided by Ryan's Solid Work
posted on 02 Jan 2009This 2007 movie reeks of the puppy-warm hypersensitivity of CW/WB teen-angst dramas like "Dawson's Creek" and "Felicity" and even has Adam Brody, recently of Fox's "The O.C.", as its star. That's not to say that the story, written by filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan's youngest son Jon, doesn't have certain moments of resonance, but it remains stubbornly shallow in execution perhaps because this represents Jon Kasdan's directorial debut. Actual nuance is often replaced by moments of forced comedy and drama. Brody is an appealing actor and can be razor-sharp when given an appropriately sized role like his smarmy turn as a Hollywood studio assistant in 2006's "Thank You for Smoking", but Kasdan makes him a mopey presence here with little latitude for revealing any emotional complexity.He plays Carter Webb, a 26-year old LA-based writer who specializes in soft porn (a plot point that isn't explored too much). His heart is broken when his pretty Spanish actress-model girlfriend Sofia, accelerating quickly on the Hollywood fast lane, summarily dumps him in a coffee shop. In order to decompress and heal, Carter decides to stay with his ailing, comically senile grandmother Phyllis in Michigan for a while. She lives across the street from the Hardwickes, and he gets to know mother Sarah and her two daughters Lucy and Paige. Before you shout "The Graduate", the film does not go this exploitative route but instead looks at how Sarah and Lucy are drawn to Carter because of their own dilemmas. Sarah is an idle housewife who finds out she has breast cancer and a cheating husband, while Lucy is a typical angst-driven teen who has trouble dealing with boys and her parents. Nothing too surprising happens, mainly long dialogue scenes between the principals with minor characters fade away entirely.As Lucy, Kristen Stewart looks like she may have the chops to become Scarlett Johansson's successor in alienated youth roles, though her constantly slouched posture and downward gaze gets wearing. Absent from the screen for at least three years, Meg Ryan is a welcome presence as Sarah, and it's nice to see she still has a career after her lengthy string of 1990's romantic comedies. Minus her trademark twinkle, she manages to bring depth to a tightly wound character defined by her sorrow, and yet Kasdan shifts away from her character's relationship with Carter just when it gets interesting. The main challenge in watching her as a forty-something suburban matron is how much she simply doesn't look like one. Makenzie Vega plays Paige with predictable precociousness, while others barely register, including Olympia Dukakis on automatic pilot as Phyllis, JoBeth Williams as Carter's useless mother Agnes and Elena Anaya looking very much like Audrey Tautou's baby sister as Sofia. Perhaps reflective of the film's poor box office reception, the DVD contains no extras.
You've Got to be Kidding -- What a Waste of Talent
posted on 23 Dec 2008There are so many things wrong with this movie and screenplay, that I don't know where to start. We heard such negative reviews from friends that we just had to see for ourselves. Given the strong stable of actors, it just couldn't be that bad ... or could it? So let me start with the positive.The Good: 1) Actors - Great talent overall. Special kudos to young Makenzie Vega, who is on her way to a wonderful career. She stole every scene she was in. And Meg Ryan is always a great performer - but what happened to her lips? She looks like she got stung by a bee and had a bad reaction.The Bad and the Ugly: 1) Editing - So poorly done, that it was hard to follow the flow of the story. It seemed like every ten minutes, the characters were making reference to a dialog or event that was left on the cutting room floor.2) Storyline - Don't try to rationalize how believable this one is, it's not close to reality. Without giving anything away, the story is so painfully predictable that we were all cheering for at least one surprise or plot twist, but those never came. And the ending was so absurd - straight out of a bad TV movie.3) Relationships - The characters' interaction with each other is so contrived and superficial, that it was hard to empathize with any one in this film. A good story draws you in to feel the emotions of the actors but none of us watching, from the teenagers to the adults, cared about any of the characters. And most of them were so neurotic and depressed, you just wanted to slap them across the face.If you watch this for the actors, and pay no attention to the story, then you'll have a good time. And pay particular note to young actress Makenzie Vega, she's one to watch.
In the Land of Women
posted on 17 Aug 2009My 14 year old daughter and I rented this movie and loved it so much we had to buy it. The movie had everything I love in a movie, I laughed I cried, a great "chick flick".