saved4eternity

I remember being so disappointed that this film never made it into my local theater after seeing the trailer for it played there more than once. Obviously, the theater management did not think such a sweet film, an innocent film, could capture much of an audience. They were wrong. It captured me wholeheartedly. Not only is the movie cinematically beautiful, with a small town backdrop much like that in My Dog Skip, but the characters seem to have been dropped right out of the 1940's. Yes, some might call it schmaltzy, sugary, even overdone in some respects. Lily Jane's overdone accent I found particularly annoying. But Hollywood has done its best to give us the dark side, the horrific side, the characters filled with malice and malevolence. I find this film so refreshing and well acted as well. Using mostly unknowns makes the film feel even more comfortable. The characters are on an even playing field and each contributes more than his share. Children on Their Birthdays tells a simple story of growing up, mending fences, finding our way in a world which can be a very cynical place. But the children here give us hope that if their innocence can translate into tenderheartedness as adults, maybe we have a shot at a better tomorrow after all.

Once in a while, a movie takes you completely by surprise, either because you dropped in just to be 'amused' and found yourself totally immersed and entertained, or because its perceptions of what's important in life resonate so strongly that it leaves you giving this thing we call 'family' one more hooray! Little Miss Sunshine is just such a film. The cast is so totally on target, from Alan Arkin as grumpy, dope addicted but totally lovable grandpa, to Tony Collette as the mom struggling to keep some sense of normalcy in her everyday mundane existence. Of course, what can you say about Greg Kinnear as dad? This actor has been so underrated, mainly I think because he has chosen roles for their meat rather than glitz. In many ways, he reminds me of Kevin Bacon and Johnny Depp in that Kinnear knows what his forte is and relishes in every word on the page, making it totally his own and that to our captivation as an audience. I think fondly of his rendering of Frank Zabaski, Meg Ryan's comfortable relationship/ego maniacal newspaper columnist in You've Got Mail. I delight in every line Kinnear delivers because it is so obvious he is making THIS line his heart and soul at the moment he delivers it as though this chance at immortality will never come again....the mark of a consummate actor. Every performance in Little Miss Sunshine indeed does shine, but the story tugs at your heart in a way few films do. There is something or someone to identify with for everyone in this movie. What's more, we may wish we were more like one character but actually see ourselves in another. No one wants to see themselves as the depressed to the point of giving up on life uncle, but in some respects haven't we all gotten to that point at some time or another? It isn't so much that we didn't make the genuine attempt to end it all, but that we have all FELT as if COULD feel that desolate at some point in our lives. We would all rather be the over-the-top optimist most of the time, but the truth is, we all vacillate between feelings of utter isolation and frustration and all too infrequent feelings of sufficiency and self worth. The real winner in this movie is Olive, because her identity is still waiting to be forged, amidst the imperfect examples she is living with, hopefully gleaning the best from each and making her world a happy place. As far as the audience is concerned, we are all winners because we purchased a ticket to this film! Bravo Little Miss Sunshine! Summer films can sometimes make us smile!

On my very first viewing of The Member of the Wedding, I was stunned by its beauty, overwhelmed by its simplicity, captivated by its charm. A seemingly simple story of a young girl's attempt at growing up, this film takes us on a tumultuous and painful journey through the mind of Frankie Addams, a journey so fraught with twists and turns of emotion, we are barely able to keep up! Frankie's journey through adolescence is not an ordinary one. Her disapproval bordering on hatred of herself is bringing her to the edge of her world, and at times we are left wondering whether she has gone too far to ever come back. Her rebellion toward her journey is fierce, and Julie Harris is brilliant in her interpretation of a confused, angry young girl at odds with her world. If I had to make a list of the twenty movies that had the greatest impact on me in my lifetime, The Member of the Wedding would have to make the list. Ethel Waters is as charming and heart rending as she was in Pinky in this never to be forgotten film. I would suggest that it be used in the classroom as required viewing for students between the ages of twelve and fifteen, if only to give them a heroine with whom to share the sometimes chaotic journey from child to young adulthood.