Las reglas de Georgia

Much deeper & heavier than it looks. It's definitely NOT a comedy! I don't know why they would classify this as a comedy. Besides the fact that this has very serious subject matter(s), it's not funny at all!

The 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")

Lindsay Lohan presented a different character approach where she played an amatory teen raised in California and sent to live with her pious grandmother for the sake of her redemption. This movie not only enhances the struggles between drinking and growing up too fast, but it shows the love in a family. This movie would play mind games with you which would inspire you to love each character. Felicity Huffman, played Lindsay Lohan's distressed mother and slowly throughout the movie it is seen how closely alike they are. Georgia Rule was a new take on movies and if you are in for a new turn of adventure and occasional comedy kicks, Georgia Rule is it.

I won't lie--this was not the best movie I've ever seen, but it was pretty darn good. I didn't really expect much from Lohan but she actually blew me away. My one gripe about Lohan was her age portrayal. It was hard to believe she was seventeen with a smoker's rasp and second-skin jeans. Fonda on the other hand... not her best work, she was completely generic. Huffman's performance was humorous, although a little dark. Her alcoholism is pretty believable except the antibuse thing. The movie was amusing and the unexpected plot twist kept me stringing along for the duration of the movie trying to figure it all out, but not in a frustrating way. Overall I think this movie was far better than expected and totally enjoyable.

Before watching the DVD of Georgia Rule last night, I knew nothing about the film other than it was savaged by critics and was a huge theatrical bomb. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was though, especially the acting from Lindsay Lohan. Her character in the film, as well as in real life, is one messed up young woman. Doing or saying whatever is needed at the time to get her through the situation, her character is very realistic and believable. I personally know a young woman with just these types of issues and reactions. Ms. Lohan's acting ability is phenomenal - and like other amazing, but difficult, actors, her off-screen antics never show up in the finished product. If she can straighten her life out, an Academy Award will be hers someday.

As always, it's wonderful seeing Jane Fonda back on the silver screen - and she looks superb! Too bad Mary Tyler Moore went crazy with the plastic surgery or she could (and should!) look this good now, too. Felicity Huffman is, as usual, stunning - her work is simply too good to ignore - hopefully, her and her husband, William H. Macy, will act together in the future. I'm surprised he wasn't involved in this project as a producer or something, like he was in Transamerica.

This film is difficult - it's a very, very serious film with deep, hard-to-watch issues going on. Yet, at the same time, Garry Marshall has tried to make it a light-hearted comedy too - it can't be both. From the looks of the finished product, I'd say a lot of the film ended up on the cutting room floor - too many scenes are simply not dealt with the way they should have been - like when Jane goes to buy the liquor - where's the struggle with the issue of what she is doing? Nowhere - instead we are treated to a, supposed, comical scene of her trying to hide the fact she's bought the liquor. Bizarre! It's like the film makers felt the movie had gotten too heavy at that point and needed some comic relief. Strange! The Mormon aspect was dealt with poorly too - the guy's issues with not having pre-marital sex rang false - an LDS (Mormon) church member, who was raised in the church, would know the reason why pre-marital sex is frowned upon, not just that it would "make God mad." The writer seems to know no more about the LDS religion and beliefs than some person told him - and he seemed to do no more in-depth research about it.

Still, don't let these complaints turn you off from seeing Georgia Rule. It's well worth your 2 hours.