Two Weeks

Saw this film at an exclusive NYC advance screening presented by Gen Art, with the writer/director present, and I gotta say: if you've ever lost a loved one, this film will have you nodding in remembrance. If you've yet to lose a loved one...it's a good primer on how to handle it.

Great performances all around, and I liked the way the film expertly balances comedy with drama. It's a fact of life that we all have to deal with this subject sometime...and a film like this deserves attention because it's one of the few to tackle a delicate subject with grace and humor.

I saw "Two Weeks" at the Hampton Film Festival in a packed theater. While "Two Weeks" is a serious film about a family going through a tragic experience, it is also very funny and true. Stockman, who wrote and directed the film, manages to capture the humor and emotion of a family as they cope with of the impending loss of their mother. It is a brave and honest film. Sally Field is wonderful as the strong and funny matriarch who stares death down. Her performance is powerful and complex. Ben Chaplin, Tom Cavanaugh and Julianne Nicholson deliver honest and subtle performances. They truly seem like a family sharing all of the affection, sorrow and conflict you would expect of siblings going through such a difficult experience. The film is funny and moving. I will be going to see it again when it opens in NYC on March 2nd.

TWO WEEKS is a quietly exquisite, deeply moving, and surprisingly hopeful drama centered on some very unpleasant subject matter. Writer and director Steve Stockman struck gold with this story of four adult siblings (Ben Chaplin, Julianne Nicholson, Tom Cavanaugh, Glenn Howerton)who return to their hometown in North Carolina to be at the bedside of their mother (beautifully played by Sally Field), who is dying of ovarian cancer. This drama of the family's final time together is juxtaposed with a videotaped interview with Mom done by the eldest son (Chaplin) as sort of a final tribute to his mom before she gets too sick to remember things she wants to pass on.This film offers surprises at every turn because it is more than the "sturm und drang" one would expect from such a story. Stockman puts a very human face on the subject of death and dying and because it is human, there is humor involved. There are laughs to be found here and they aren't the kind of laughs where you wonder whether or not being amused is appropriate. These are odd little moments throughout the film that we can all relate to...like one brother finding the cowboy sheets that were on his childhood bed and stashing them to take with him, or dealing with the problem of all the casseroles that well-intentioned friends and neighbors stuff the refrigerator with, or arguing with your siblings over the things Mom wants you to have and nobody wants. The direction is a little static, but the screenplay has a deft quality to it and the performances are uniformly first-rate, with standout work from Field and Chaplin. A very special film experience...treat yourself.

This is truly representative of what losing a loved one feels like--of course, sad. But, there is an element of humor, reaching for relief while recognizing in utter submission, our own mortality. And, of course, there is anger.

This film is worth seeing. It was sweet and a wonderful tribute to a family going through a phase of life that we all will see.

Sallie Fields and all the actors did a fantastic job. Thank you for making a film that means something. No car chases, but meaningful words and great acting.

The R rating seems to be very harsh compared to the language.

If you have ever had to become a caretaker for a loved one, you will appreciate the realism of the complex characters portrayed here.