Evening (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
This grim film explores the romantic past & emotional present of Ann Grant (Vanessa Redgrave & Claire Danes) and her daughters, Nina & Constance (Toni Collette & Natasha Richardson ... Redgrave's real-life daughter). Ann lays dying; coming in & out of a cancer-driven stupor. In both foggy & lucid moments, she remembers (and laments) about one particular weekend of lost/missed opportunities ... the weekend of Lila's (Mamie Gummer, & in present-day, her real-life mom, Meryl Streep) wedding. What can I say? 'Evening', directed by Lajos Koltai, had everything going for it; best-selling novel, impeccable cast, same writer & cast as The Hours. But aside from some strong performances, this film's execution gets a bit lost in translation from book page to the big screen.
Overwhelmed by the power of her memory, Ann reveals a secret to her concerned daughters. Constance passes it off as delusions, but Nina is desperate who this 'Harris' is that she keeps calling for (the man she loved more than any other). Most of Ann's memories come to life (on screen) when she's being tended to by her night nurse (Eileen Atkins). Newport, R.I., 1954: Ann arrives from Greenwich Village for the high-society wedding of her good friend, Lila. Lila has cold feet because she still harbors feelings for a childhood love-turned heartthrob, Harris (Patrick Wilson). Meanwhile, though Ann's the maid-of-honor, she's even closer to Lila's sexually-confused, irrepressibly drunk brother, Buddy (Hugh Dancy). Ann doesn't know that her love for Harris will change the course of her life.
Although they both like each other, Ann's untimely liaison with Harris goes foul. Their burst of passion offers dire consequences. And the 'evening' of the wedding turns catastrophically tragic. Interspersed through the film are flashbacks from 1998, back to '54, over & over again. That one evening in 1954 changed Ann's life (& subsequently, her 2 daughters' lives, as well). In '98, Ann is succumbing to her disease, rambling on with bursts of clarity, vagueness, wide-eyed realizations, & then melancholy ponderings (as she slips in & out of consciousness on a minute-to-minute cadence). Eventually, Lila arrives (Streep), having heard that her long-lost friend was on death's door. She is able to quell Nina's concerns about her mom's shady past. And she comforts Ann in her last stages of life.
So this is obviously the ultimate mother-daughter chick flick. Normally, I eat up this stuff up. Though I'm a male, I've grown up with women my whole life & can appreciate (even snicker, mock) a lot of female melodrama. But this movie is too uneven, a touch too trite, & overly sensitive. The main theme of the film is: the lost optimism of youth. Ann was an aspiring singer, but that fateful 'evening' changed her course towards something she may not have wanted (wrong husband, mentally incapable of raising children, etc.). Lila's optimism was dashed when she married a man she didn't love. Nina (Toni Collette) seems to be falling into the same trap as her mother ... but old-aged Lila, & a brief moment with her mom (before dying) reassures her that life can still be fulfilling, even if it isn't perfect.
There ARE touching, reflective, thought-provoking moments here; there's dignity in the 'story'. The locales are gorgeous. Streep, Collette & Dancy (Buddy initially annoys, but ends up being the most multi-dimensional character) impress here. And Redgrave is fantastic as the elder Ann; I was moved to tears by her affecting portrayal. But aside from Buddy, there's little character exploration (something ESSENTIAL to a romantic/melodramatic tragedy). The last 20 min. of 'Evening' are superb, but the 1st 20 are abysmal. The dialogue is delivered with a void of emotion. Nothing initially draws you in to these waspy, self-absorbed characters. Claire Danes' acting flounders. Natasha Richardson (so good in The White Countess) falters. It's just disappointing how emotionally confined & morose this film turns out to be. It's not all bad, but here's a film you can pick apart.
Overwhelmed by the power of her memory, Ann reveals a secret to her concerned daughters. Constance passes it off as delusions, but Nina is desperate who this 'Harris' is that she keeps calling for (the man she loved more than any other). Most of Ann's memories come to life (on screen) when she's being tended to by her night nurse (Eileen Atkins). Newport, R.I., 1954: Ann arrives from Greenwich Village for the high-society wedding of her good friend, Lila. Lila has cold feet because she still harbors feelings for a childhood love-turned heartthrob, Harris (Patrick Wilson). Meanwhile, though Ann's the maid-of-honor, she's even closer to Lila's sexually-confused, irrepressibly drunk brother, Buddy (Hugh Dancy). Ann doesn't know that her love for Harris will change the course of her life.
Although they both like each other, Ann's untimely liaison with Harris goes foul. Their burst of passion offers dire consequences. And the 'evening' of the wedding turns catastrophically tragic. Interspersed through the film are flashbacks from 1998, back to '54, over & over again. That one evening in 1954 changed Ann's life (& subsequently, her 2 daughters' lives, as well). In '98, Ann is succumbing to her disease, rambling on with bursts of clarity, vagueness, wide-eyed realizations, & then melancholy ponderings (as she slips in & out of consciousness on a minute-to-minute cadence). Eventually, Lila arrives (Streep), having heard that her long-lost friend was on death's door. She is able to quell Nina's concerns about her mom's shady past. And she comforts Ann in her last stages of life.
So this is obviously the ultimate mother-daughter chick flick. Normally, I eat up this stuff up. Though I'm a male, I've grown up with women my whole life & can appreciate (even snicker, mock) a lot of female melodrama. But this movie is too uneven, a touch too trite, & overly sensitive. The main theme of the film is: the lost optimism of youth. Ann was an aspiring singer, but that fateful 'evening' changed her course towards something she may not have wanted (wrong husband, mentally incapable of raising children, etc.). Lila's optimism was dashed when she married a man she didn't love. Nina (Toni Collette) seems to be falling into the same trap as her mother ... but old-aged Lila, & a brief moment with her mom (before dying) reassures her that life can still be fulfilling, even if it isn't perfect.
There ARE touching, reflective, thought-provoking moments here; there's dignity in the 'story'. The locales are gorgeous. Streep, Collette & Dancy (Buddy initially annoys, but ends up being the most multi-dimensional character) impress here. And Redgrave is fantastic as the elder Ann; I was moved to tears by her affecting portrayal. But aside from Buddy, there's little character exploration (something ESSENTIAL to a romantic/melodramatic tragedy). The last 20 min. of 'Evening' are superb, but the 1st 20 are abysmal. The dialogue is delivered with a void of emotion. Nothing initially draws you in to these waspy, self-absorbed characters. Claire Danes' acting flounders. Natasha Richardson (so good in The White Countess) falters. It's just disappointing how emotionally confined & morose this film turns out to be. It's not all bad, but here's a film you can pick apart.