A Thousand Acres

The two primary questions I use in evaluating a film are: "Is it a story worth telling?", and "is it a story well told?" When I apply these questions to Jocelyn Morehouse's A Thousand Acres (adapted from the novel by Jane Smiley), the answers are: yes, yes and no. The basic story is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. This story provides fertile soil for a tragic, but compelling story as told in Jane Smiley's novel as she moves the setting of the story to the cornfields of Iowa.

This revisionist King Lear has an aging farmer (played by two-time Oscar winner Jason Robards) proposing to divide his farm among his three daughters as a way of minimizing the costs of inheritance taxes. The youngest daughter expresses some reservations, and is immediately cut out of the partnership. When the farm is divided between the other two daughters, the stage is set for a tragedy of epic proportions. As the story unfolds, the family relations are strained and broken by greed, betrayal, death, abuse, miscommunication, and ghosts from the past.

When Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer read Jane Smiley's novel, they purchased the screen rights. Women are at the center of this project from beginning to end. This is actually somewhat refreshing, since Hollywood is not known for sensitivity in its portrayal of females or in its understanding of female viewpoints. Unfortunately, this has led some to dismiss the film as a "chick flick." While there are no male characters in the film for whom we feel much compassion or sympathy, the film is really about Ginny (as played by Jessica Lange). If the viewer follows the dramatic arc of this character, it is easier to find the heart of this film.

Finding the heart of the film appears to be a problem. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars (out of a possible four), Owen Glieberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a letter grade of F. Others--myself included--liked it a bit better than that.

The film is clearly not without its problems. Film adaptations are difficult because richly textured stories must be trimmed and abridged to fit a two-hour time span for the typical film. Most of the criticisms of A Thousand Acres revolve around underdeveloped characters, subplots left hanging, and unclear story lines. I suspect some of this is the result of commercial tampering and trimming by the producers. Some of the blame clearly goes to director Jocelyn Morehouse who doesn't do enough to help us care about some of the characters. When tragedy strikes, it is almost as if we are reading about strangers in a newspaper.

The performances by Jessica Lange and Michelle Pfeiffer (Pfeiffer plays the second sister, Rose) are so compelling that the film remains engaging in spite of its flaws. Jessica Lange gives what may be the performance of her already Oscar-rich career (Tootsie and Blue Sky). This is a different kind of role for Pfeiffer and she clearly rises to the occasion. A Thousand Acres is worth seeing if you are interested in a good story that comes close to being well told.

Having seen A 1,000 ACRES in a theater many years ago, for some reason, I blocked it out and had little recollection of it. Funny how we humans often block things out!

In fact, I wouldd like to categorize ACRES a "Human Flick". (As opposed to...you know what!) I like a movie that consistently refuses to follow your expectations. At least for me, from beginning to end, despite having seen it before, I just couldn't get it right! KUDOS to ACRES. Produced by, Based on a novel written by, Screenplay by, Directed by and Starring WOMEN! Yes, HERE, they do it ALL! And a job exquisitely well-done, I might add!

From the onset, it's obvious that patriarch Larry Cook (Jason Robards, Jr., in one of his last really meaty, showcase roles) together with his 3 daughters; Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stunning ensemble performances) form an utterly dysfunctional family.

Apparently, the premature death of Larry's wife, the girls' mother, when they were all children, served as the defining event in all their lives, derailing each member and hurtling them into disparate realities...The operative word here being, "Apparently". Robards is inspired as the old-school, iron-fisted farmer, who, because of his age, is beginning to show a few cracks; starting to lose his grip.

Probably sensing this, the old-man pulls the rug out from everyone when he announces at a family dinner that he has decided to screw the government out of inheritance taxes on his choice 1,000 Acres by forming a corporation where each daughter is an equal partner. All his daughters are stunned, but the two eldest go along with the idea. Caroline, the youngest, who happens to be a lawyer, exercising professional caution, says she'd like to think it over a bit. The old man is beside himself, and sets off a chain of events. There is a very deftly handled undercurrent that adds a potent dose of tension throughout the film. I loved the ending. I imagine a lot of people simply did not!

ENJOY!/DISFRUTELA!

I didn't actually have high hopes for this film because I had read some critics reviews when it first came out. I have not read the novel either. I thought the film was very well done and was moved by it. I agree that many of the supporting characters are underdeveloped but I could overlook that because I knew what was motivating the main characters. The two lead actresses are brilliant, especially Jessica Lange, who deserved an Oscar nomination for this. I loved the way her character slowly changed through the movie and Lange can evoke so much emotion in the viewer with something as small as a hand gesture. Pfieffer is strong as well although the story mainly revolves around Ginny and I don't really see why Pfieffer gets first billing here. I strongly recommend the film, espeically on dvd.

A Jane Smiley novel, loosely based on Shakespeare's KING LEAR about the Cook family and its dark secrets. Director Moorhouse seems tamed in her approach, allowing the characters to step forward and take a bow. And how could you go wrong with the talents of Pfeiffer, Lange, Leigh, Firth, Carradine and Robards?

When I found out that Jessica Lange, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jason Robards were teaming for a film based on a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, I went out and read the book immediately. "A Thousand Acres" was one of the best reading experiences of my life, and while the film couldn't capture the book in its entirety (no film could, unless it were six hours long), I really enjoyed it. Michelle Pfeiffer should have received another Oscar nomination for her fearless portrayal of Rose Cook Lewis, the character modeled after Shakespeare's evil Regan from "King Lear." While all of the performances are solid, they seem somehow timid next to Pfeiffer, who once again proves that she is most definitely not just another pretty face.