The Mermaid Chair

I loved this movie, it was engrossing - never knowing what was coming up next. The acting was superb & the scenery beautiful. This is the soulful type of movie there should be more of. Great work by the writers, producers & actors, Kim B is the best actress with her expressionful face & fantasy figure. The male actors all fulfilled the roles eloquently. I will recommend this movie to all my friends as one not to be missed. The lifestyle portrayed is the dream of every human, one we would all like to have. The Mermaid Chair takes you to another world where the stresses of our everyday life are forgotten while watching the wonderful movie. I can't wait to watch it again on DVD.

I had several problems with the movie:

(1) The screenplay -- specifically, Kim Basinger's voice over: Movies are not books; they should *show* the action rather than have a voice over *tell* us what's happening. Occasionally I find a movie with a voice over that works, but here it seemed more of a lazy way of writing the script. In fact, it sounded to me as if she was practically reading excerpts from the novel in her voice over.

(2) I felt no emotion in the relationship between Jessie and Brother Thomas and also felt that Alex Carter's acting was pretty bad. That's a significant failure for me in defining Jessie's and Thomas' characters -- with no connection between them, it seemed to me as if she just wanted a stud and that for him it was a matter of being sex-deprived. If it had been properly done, the relationship between them would have given much more context to the story.

(3) With the book, I understood Jessie's mid-life crisis. In the movie, it seemed more like just plain boredom.

On the plus side, I didn't think the movie was so bad as for me to turn off the TV . . . though that thought did occur to me.

It's a typical Lifetime movie except Kim Basinger is a really good actress. She really does the character justice and adds the element of mystery to her character. Sure the kind of movie has been done countless times and these movies never seem to do the book justice...it's unfortunate. It's OK. I'm liking it so far and it is not a bad movie, not by a long shot. It's very interesting and mysterious, anticipation grows and the storytelling by Basinger is flowing nicely. The portrayal of the monk's character is also done nicely. The monk is a sensitive person who seems to be unsure of himself, more so as the relationship between himself and the woman grows. Adultery is what's being committed here, although it seems to be a mixture of love and lust. How the story unfolds? It's quite the story.

The castle is in British Columbia, Canada - http://www.hatleycastle.com/- view and read details here - it's been used in many TV shows and movies. "The Castle was completed in 1908. From 1941 until 1943 when Grant Block was completed, the Castle served as dormitory and mess hall for cadets and staff officers at Royal Roads Military College. It is now the administrative centre of Royal Roads University. It houses the President, Vice-President, the Managers of Finance and Facilities, and the administrative support staff for Royal Roads University." "On 22 February 1994, it was announced that Royal Roads Military College would close in the following year. Due to public support, the Province of British Columbia entered negotiations with the federal government of Canada to lease the property and facilities in order to continue its use as a university. Royal Roads University was created on 21 June 1995 by an act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia. On 31 August 1995 Royal Roads Military College ceased to exist and the facilities were turned over to Royal Roads University on 1 September 1995."

I've seen nothing but mediocre to bad reviews for The Mermaid Chair. Frankly, I think it was a very good book and chick flick. The music was lovely; the scenery was enchanting; the actors were entertaining. The plot is, indeed, a fantasy. But it is consistently the root of all the characters built around it. The characters compliment the story in a very beautiful manner. Frankly, it's one of the few movies that stem from bestseller novels that I've enjoyed. As far as reality is concerned -- come on, folks...it's a s.t.o.r.y!! One of the most inviting things about movies and novels is the chance to escape from a world that is far too realistic. Viewers, please take time to view this wonderful movie. You won''t be sorry.