Virginia

I saw the premiere of this film tonight at the tiff festival in Toronto. Most of the starring cast was on hand for the premiere, which was nice, and they appeared very proud of the film.

In all, the film was a bit above average, but the pacing was a bit off in places and so it seemed that just when it sucked you in it let you go, and that repeated several times during the show. It's a good film though, with a great deal of humour and subtleties, but doesn't quite get there enough to make it a great film.

Jennifer Connolly gives a very inspired performance, and she's really the one who draws you in the most and really puts you through a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. She's over the top, silly, tragic, and lovable, though you never quite figure her out. Ed Harris plays a wonderfully complex and very understated role, but it's the underlying parts of his character that he brings out so well.

In the end, you don't quite come out with a feeling that you were completely happy, but you have a lot of good parts to look back on. I would have given this film an 8 if not for the uneven pacing of the film, and if you're into character driven stories then you'll likely enjoy this one.

We are supposed to believe that Virginia started the affair with Richard when she was 24 and he was 44 and it's been going on for 16 years? Hollywood BS.

Jennifer Connelly's performance in the title role is the best and most interesting thing about this quirky film. Dustin Lance Black's story and direction examine all kinds of things about what ticks in the great heartland of America who just inflicted Donald Trump on the world.

Virginia casts Jennifer Connelly as one most disturbed mother who for almost two decades has had a clandestine relationship with the local sheriff Ed Harris who now has political aspirations. Harris is a Mormon who would not have liked to see polygamy abolished. Essentially it's a question of him being Abraham having Sarah and Hagar. And we know what kind of raw deal Hagar got.

But Virginia might be cast in the role as Hagar, being given the heave ho because Harris is running for State Senator as of course a law and order conservative. Choice between Connelly and the Sarah of the story Amy Madigan it's crazy Connelly coming up short.

Complicating all this is Harrison Gilbertson Connelly's son who might be Harris's also. He's gotten interested in Harris's daughter by Madigan, Emma Roberts. That could really screw up things for Mr. Law and Order/Family Values.

It ends in tragedy for some, just desserts for others, and escape for some more.

Writer Black has created some colorful characters for director Black to work with. Virginia starts out slow, but the characters do grab you and hold your attention.

I love that scene in the end with traveling Mormon Elder Lucas Grabeel caught in the middle of some madness and Connelly getting him to surrender that enchanted Mormon underwear for her son. We need all the help we can in this life and I guess it can't hurt.

If you like quirky movies don't miss Virginia.

Virginia (2010)

An offbeat black comedy that is all charm and surprise. It plays off of a nostalgia for a simple middle America and inserts a woman who is both lovable and off her rocker. Her son is a precocious and tender teen with dreams of his own and he gets caught in the middle. The result is warm and funny and actually, in its comic way, tragic.

The star and an amazing star is Jennifer Connelly, but she is well paired with the young Harrison Gilbertson. Third in line is Ed Harris playing a cop or district attorney running for office. It's Virginia Beach, Virginia and there is for some reason a Mormon presence which adds to the humor because of course even Mormons can do outrageous things. Affairs fly against expectations, nuttiness becomes dangerous chaos, and innocence is shattered thoroughly. All in ironic good fun.

The story is key and it's written by the director, Dustin Lance Black. This is his first full fledged movie and it's too bad the responses are so negative. I liked it a lot. Even just appreciating the sheer acting prowess of Connelly is enough to last all the way through. Throw in a half dozen other good performances, some wonderful sets and locations, and really solid photography and it makes for something significant. Finally make the story as crazy as it is and you might have a good time here.

It's not perfect, for sure. They pull the same trick that was used in another, better Connelly film, "The House of Sand and Fog," where the opening scene is the end of the story, and the rest is filling in all the facts. This means a certain surprise is removed, and an expectation raised. You might also say this is all just so frivolous and sensationalist--it means nothing and you take nothing away from it (unlike "Sand and Fog" for example again). And that's true. It's an entertainment, and maybe even a bit of a fairy tale fantasy. Certainly the very last scene, which is after the moment that opens the movie, is a comic (improbable) euphoric conclusion to it all.

Check it out? Yes, if you like offbeat films.

Virginia (Jennifer Connelly) is one seriously disturbed woman. One possible look at it is that she was screwed over by having an affair with an aspiring Senator, Dick Tipton (Ed Harris), who left her pregnant and alone to raise her son as a single mother. "Virginia" has a number of story lines, some in present time, some in flashbacks, but all resulting from the affair between Virginia and Sheriff Tipton.

The first is one of a teen romance. Virginia's son, Emmett (Harrison Gilbertson) is in love with the Sheriff's daughter, Jessie (Emma Roberts). The problem is they are half-siblings and they're told they're not even allowed to see each other let alone be friends with each other. Nobody is supposed to know of the affair so their forced separation can raise a few eyebrows. Interestingly, it's Emmett who starts questioning what's really going on.

What's really going on is that nobody is stable. The Sheriff is a devout Mormon and extreme conservative. In his Senatorial bid campaign, he needs a photo-op with a red, white and blue Ferris wheel, but the town's only Ferris wheel is pink and it's owned by an out-and-proud gay man. It is the simple conflicts like this which are resolved on the surface which lead to the very interesting dynamics in the film.

Dustin Lance Black is a relatively young filmmaker who is making his directorial debut with "Virginia" and previously wrote the screenplays for "Milk", "J. Edgar" and the HBO series "Big Love". He was raised in a Mormon household and community and was worried about his sexuality. Most of his filmmaking career has been spent inspiring people to become LGBT activists.

What is interesting about "Virginia" is that while none of the main characters are outwardly gay, the film appears to still be very personal with the boardwalk town likely doubling for Black's hometown of San Antonio, Texas. The religious undertones are very present but never over-powering.

The overall plot of "Virginia" definitely has places to go but the story hasn't been too well received. What is more interesting is what the film is trying to say without actually saying it. Black is such a talented writer that there's lots to read in between the lines.