Lila & Eve

It's a touching and dramatic theme, and for that alone it has some merit and will appeal to some more than others. The movie feels a bit slow in the beginning, with the heavy drama, until it picks up about 40 minutes into it. Once I've made it that far, I became more interested and of course wanted to see how it ended. There was also a surprise that caught me off guard. Not the movie I'd save for the weekend, but it was satisfactory to watch overall. I thought that Viola and Jennifer did a good job.

One thing that the movie didn't do so well is the relationship between characters. Of course it's expected that the focus should be on the mother, but their interactions with others would have more depth if they developed the other characters a bit more.

I think it's a good movie. Beautifully made. The color, the feel, the pace. It doesn't get boring. And it's emotionally touching. The leading actress is just great. And Lopez, considering the substance of her character that you come to realize later during the film, I think plays adequately, though people don't find her convincing. But, that's what she's supposed to be, cause she's a doer. She's the driving force, "the man" of this movie, while Viola is more of "a lady", more tender, empathetic and so on. So, I don't really understand, why people put Lopez down - she's done her part well.

The story is interesting. Cause it's a story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. No Jason Statham or Tom Cruise to fix the problem here. Simple, fragile mother gets to fix her life - bring murderers or her son to justice. To me it was just interesting to watch. While my wife's eyes were constantly wet. Thank to Viola's amazing performance, mainly.

Viola Davis delivers a strong performance in this roller coaster story of a single parent raising two sons, when one is inexplicably shot dead. Despite crippling grief she brings herself to pressure the detective assigned to the case, but to little avail. She then uses the few facts she has to find out on her own how and why this happened. Although almost driven mad with grief, she nevertheless exhibits considerable rationality, and courage, as she has to navigate in a world of street gangs and thugs. She meets Eve (Lopez) at a support group, who turns out to be a terrific ally in this foolhardy exploit. As a duo, these women are unstoppable. Viola shows remarkable range in this convincing portrait of a woman scorned and a mother who lost a good son to random violence. Jennifer delivers one of her best performances as her partner in a quest for justice. Also commendable is Shea Whigham as the not-so-clueless detective, who keeps tabs on these women and their possibly illegal exploits. This film has plenty of heart, suspense, and ultimately, wisdom.

The morality of revenge has been used as theme in many occasions, Kevin Bacon and Jodie Foster have made similar works before. While it doesn't necessarily innovate crime genre, Lila & Eve works by displaying the intimate issue with strong performance. It's a story about two mothers seeking justice, yet ultimately absorbed by the vengeance in an attempt to cope with the overwhelming sadness.

Viola Davis as Lila is easily the best asset of the movie. She's completely believable as the grieving mother, often seen hurt and confused in highly sympathetic manner. She can draw audience interest and even suspense judgment as she dabbles in less savory acts. Since the movie almost entirely revolves around her trial, it's a boon to have a reliable lead.

Jennifer Lopez has a mixed record in acting. There are a couple of good movies when she delivered, but most of the material she worked were mismatches. The most advantage she has is she can appear to be not glamorous, as in Parker and The Boy Next Door. With Viola Davis, the chemistry is definitely present, she appears to be an integral part of Lila's story than just a guest star.

The movie is not without flaws though. It's hampered with a few crude developments. They can be a bit problematic, although not entirely jumping towards one-man-army action theme or overly bloody violence. Furthermore, the plot twist it tries to pull is predictable and it could've been more refined or subtle in its delivery.

Unfortunately, many elements of the movie are notoriously cliché. The vigilante thriller and the chasing cop aspect feel much too familiar. However, Lila & Eve has enough private sentiment to be emotionally engaging even though the cause might not be just.

Not too surprising that Viola Davis gives a strong performance as a mother who has a very interesting nervous breakdown after her son's murder from a drive-by, and good for Jennifer Lopez who I can't remember the last time was in something really worth seeing. Her role as another grieving mother out for vengeance rather than justice was a turn in a different direction.

And the movie relies a lot on the strong performances of their star power. Though it acts like a mature version of Death wish, the movie is predicable like an action movie, and though I was expecting elements from the action genre, I was also expecting the movie to be a way better than a Made-for-TV cable movie starring an old TV star.

Maybe you should wait to see it on TV as well.