Lila & Eve

Solid Revenge Chick-Flick Starring the ever Intense Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez giving another Workmanlike Performance, an Underrated Actress Lopez usually brings Spunk and believability for aggressive Females Everywhere.

The Movie is a bit Different, in the Thelma and Louise (1991) tradition of Two Women Driven beyond sanity and into a World that is distinctively Not Their Own. After Her Son is Innocently Gun Downed in a Drive-By, Viola Davis' Grief Cannot Comfort Her loss and She Snaps into Action with the Help of Her "Sponsor" Lopez.

What happens is Cathartic and Violent and ends With a Twist or Two. Engaging, Entertaining, and Well Done. This is an Unknown, Little-Seen Indie that is Worth a Watch for the Topical Story and better than Average presentation of a Mother's Pain and Revenge.

This film tells the story of a grieving woman who lost her son because of a shooting on the street. She attends a mothers' support group, where she finds support from another woman who lost her daughter.

"Lila & Eve" is quite a good thriller! Viola Davis is very good as a grieving mother. She makes her character very sympathetic and really connects with the viewers. Her grief is deep and hurting badly, but not overdone. Then a twist comes; I thought a twist would be coming as there are clues shattered around the film, but I thought it was something else. The ending is great and offers closure in a subtle manner. I enjoyed watching this thriller.

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.

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.

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.