Far North

If Charles Durning cracked you up in O Brother Where Art Thou, then check him out at his best.

Though a little slow-paced and too off-beat for some, I try to watch this one at least once a year. Rare opportunity to see Jessica Lange be really funny. Not that it's a pure, comedic role, but just playing off the insanity of her family-members, she can't help but be funny.

Tess Harper, a really young Patricia Arquette, the President from A Clear and Present Danger (Donald Moffat), and the MOM of the family, will all get a few laughs, but no one more than big Charles.

Pregnant and unmarried city woman returns home to her family's Minnesota farm after her father has been thrown off his carriage by his dreaded-favorite horse; she reunites with her squabbling sister and niece, her dotty mother, her wily uncle (who plays the ponies), and her 99-year-old grandmother. Having recently worked on Beth Henley's "Crimes of the Heart" (with Jessica Lange and Tess Harper, who appear here as the sisters), it's almost impossible not to believe that writer Sam Shepherd wasn't inspired by Henley's eccentric, noodling style. "Far North" sounds theatrical, like a failed play--and it looks that way too, since first-time director Shepherd hasn't any idea how to stage this menagerie. There are, on the other hand, some stray funny moments between Lange, Harper, and Patricia Arquette, and some of the cinematography is striking. The other cast members haven't much to work with (all Charles Durning does is yell after an amusing early hospital-bed scene), while the narrative moseys along, occasionally trading quirks with tics. A peculiar, scrappy little picture that just doesn't work. *1/2 from ****

For folks like myself who have lived in the area for a while, this is an interesting little episode. For those who've never been here, it does give a pretty good feel for the ambiance of the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

In fact, I may actually know Charles Durning's character from my youth. The town I'm from is south of Ashland but had more than its share of characters... one of them built an early version of a go-cart with a 12HP, two-man chain saw motor and forgot to put brakes on it. He said it was scary going down the road, waiting to run out of gas but the looks on motorist's faces when he passed them made it worth the risk.

Thank you, Mr. Shepard for such an outstanding job of displaying what is humorous about us without insulting us.

Grumpy old Bertrum (Charles Durning) is in the hospital after an incident with his horse. His oldest daughter Kate (Jessica Lange) has returned home and he wants her to kill the horse for revenge. Kate is reluctant. Middle child Rita (Tess Harper) is stable. Youngest Jilly (Patricia Arquette) is a wild child. The mother (Ann Wedgeworth) is flighty and delusional. Uncle Dane (Donald Moffat) is also in the hospital and helps Bertrum run away.

Sam Shepard wrote and directed this movie. It's a bit of a mess. The dysfunctional family of crazy characters could be good building blocks for a compelling story. Shooting the horse is not the highest of stakes. There is a lot of complaining and fighting without going anywhere. The plot needs a destination. This has many great actors and they infuse their characters with life. It would be nice to have a good plot to put these character into.

Depending on what you like, you might need to be in the mood for this, as it isn't full of the fast-paced quick-cut bubble-gum junk that most of today's movies have. More to the point, I liked the mostly light-hearted with dark undertones screenplay, and thought the acting and soundtrack were quite good as well. It doesn't hurt if you've always liked Jessica Lange and Charles Durning. And while her role and acting here doesn't stand up next to her Cape Fear work, it does give Mr. Durning some stretching space. Sam Shepard's direction is more than adequate, and doesn't get in the way. I also liked the way this movie was edited to create tension where needed. It is well worth seeing. Oh yeah, the horse does a fine job too.