Mère-fille, mode d'emploi

I already forget when and how I saw this movie. (I think maybe on Netflix) I chose to watch this when I saw Jane Fonda was in it. Also Felicity Huffman. And I was glad I did. From the start to the end, I wanted to keep on watching. Jane was superb, as always. And the casting was good. They all resembled each other - from Fonda to Lohan. The dynamics of their relationship - from grandmother to granddaughter is interesting to watch though familiar - the daughter's (Lohan) relationship with her mother (Huffman) is thorny. So is Felicity's relationship with her mother (Fonda). Not to mention the issue of sexual abuse. (I think this is why Jane did this movie. This subject is close to her heart - her mother was a victim. She wrote this in one of her books.) So when the movie ends, it's satisfying to see that they may have come to an understanding of their mothers as well as themselves. I don't know why the critics savaged this movie. It's a good one. Though I must say that Lohan didn't have to do much acting :) She just had to be herself. And maybe that is why she was cast here.

Before watching the DVD of Georgia Rule last night, I knew nothing about the film other than it was savaged by critics and was a huge theatrical bomb. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was though, especially the acting from Lindsay Lohan. Her character in the film, as well as in real life, is one messed up young woman. Doing or saying whatever is needed at the time to get her through the situation, her character is very realistic and believable. I personally know a young woman with just these types of issues and reactions. Ms. Lohan's acting ability is phenomenal - and like other amazing, but difficult, actors, her off-screen antics never show up in the finished product. If she can straighten her life out, an Academy Award will be hers someday.

As always, it's wonderful seeing Jane Fonda back on the silver screen - and she looks superb! Too bad Mary Tyler Moore went crazy with the plastic surgery or she could (and should!) look this good now, too. Felicity Huffman is, as usual, stunning - her work is simply too good to ignore - hopefully, her and her husband, William H. Macy, will act together in the future. I'm surprised he wasn't involved in this project as a producer or something, like he was in Transamerica.

This film is difficult - it's a very, very serious film with deep, hard-to-watch issues going on. Yet, at the same time, Garry Marshall has tried to make it a light-hearted comedy too - it can't be both. From the looks of the finished product, I'd say a lot of the film ended up on the cutting room floor - too many scenes are simply not dealt with the way they should have been - like when Jane goes to buy the liquor - where's the struggle with the issue of what she is doing? Nowhere - instead we are treated to a, supposed, comical scene of her trying to hide the fact she's bought the liquor. Bizarre! It's like the film makers felt the movie had gotten too heavy at that point and needed some comic relief. Strange! The Mormon aspect was dealt with poorly too - the guy's issues with not having pre-marital sex rang false - an LDS (Mormon) church member, who was raised in the church, would know the reason why pre-marital sex is frowned upon, not just that it would "make God mad." The writer seems to know no more about the LDS religion and beliefs than some person told him - and he seemed to do no more in-depth research about it.

Still, don't let these complaints turn you off from seeing Georgia Rule. It's well worth your 2 hours.

Audiences can rebel and demand money back for numerous reasons. Viewers certainly do not like being misled by a trailer.

Georgia Rule is a prime example of an ill-marketed flick. Truth be told, I don't know how anyone could market the film. Is Georgia Rule without merit? Absolutely not! Is it a quirky comedy peopled by foreigners from California mixing with the quirky locals? Yes. Is it a slapstick comedy with clever comebacks? Yes. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM??? Quirky and clever comprise at the most 15 minutes of the film. Here is a serious drama about a family disintegrating because of communication problems and damaging behavior. Slowly the onion peels before the unsuspecting town (and the audience too). Long hidden problems drive squirm-inducing behavior on the part of the three female protagonists. The supporting cast, whether villains or heroes, perform wonders with roles better fleshed out than expected. The photography immerses watchers into small-town Idaho and its natural beauty. The score is unobtrusive - good. Now to the big stuff: · this script by Mark Andrus is another of his studies in deception, distrust, sex and revenge. None of these subjects is softened - the full impact of behaviors is up front and in-your-face but the characters seem real - these are not clichés. · I did not expect such a weighty film from Garry Marshall. He doesn't shy away from the material. He trusts his leads to get the job done. · And they deliver. Felicity Huffman walks a line as deftly as a tightrope walker. Her pain and confusion are very visible without being melodramatic or overwrought. Jane Fonda has a more difficult role - her Georgia barely reveals anything. Her every fiber tenses with control - you can almost hear her jaw clenching as she watches her daughter and granddaughter with disbelief. The surprise for me was Lindsay Lohan. A wise viewer would do well to set aside all the stories about her behavior during the making of this movie: what she delivered was simply amazing. Her character, Rachel, wears her demons on what few clothes surround her body. Miss Lohan's facial expressions veer wildly from vulnerability to defiance to dismay to anger and everything in between. The three ladies who carry Georgia Rule may fight it out come Oscar time. As for the film, I can't recommend it if only because of the subject matter.

Much deeper & heavier than it looks. It's definitely NOT a comedy! I don't know why they would classify this as a comedy. Besides the fact that this has very serious subject matter(s), it's not funny at all!

The rebel, reckless and spoiled teenager Rachel Wilcox (Lindsay Lohan) travels from San Francisco to the conservative Mormon Hull, Idaho, with her alcoholic mother Lily (Felicity Huffman) to spend the summer with her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda). Rachel and Lily have a troubled relationship and Georgia follows severe rules at her home. While with Georgia, Rachel reveals a traumatic secret from her past that explains her rebelliousness and brings her mother back to Idaho to check whether her daughter is telling the truth.

The screenplay of "Georgia Rule" is unusual, beginning with comedy but developing in a touching drama related to child abuse and relationship among three generations of the same family. The lead female characters are dysfunctional: Rachel lies, uses drugs and booze and behaves like a slut, with no sense of morality; her mother Lily is an alcoholic woman; and her grandmother Georgia does not express her love with her tough rules. The story is engaging, funny in many moments and heartbreaking in others, and shows the importance of the truth, no matter how painful it is, and family bonds to help to supersede problems and difficulties. The gorgeous Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman are amazing, but Jane Fonda performs a strange but fair character. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Ela é A Poderosa" ("She is The Powerful")