Georgia Rule - movie review

There is very little about Georgia Rule that will be what you expect. The biggest turnaround will come from expectations in director Garry Marshall (Pretty Woman, Princess Diaries, The Other Sister) because there is nothing "feel good" about this film. In fact, this flick has a very dark center and not for anyone expecting a sweet afternoon of female-bonding and tear-jerking. Yes, those elements are there. There is, eventually, bonding. There are tears. But these things are derived from a family beyond dysfunction and personal traumas not to be taken lightly (or soberly!).



But, if you leave your expectations at the cinema door. If you note NOT to take your tween to see her redheaded idol. If you forego the notion that this film is the best choice for a girlie matinee experience then you will be impressed. Rule is about three generations of women who are forced to address the pains they have inflicted and endured at the hands of each other. It is a search of truth and self and the obstacles that get in the way. And it is a story about love and the disturbing way that father's influence how daughters see love and how mothers can suffer the fallout of that relationship. See, not simple or sweet at all.

Things begin when Lily (Felicity Huffman) sends her rebellious daughter Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) off Idaho to live with her estranged mother Georgia (Jane Fonda) for the summer. What you notice immediately is the level of talent on screen. Fonda returns to the screen (after the throwaway that was Monster-In-Law) in a role that is reminiscent of Gena Rowlands in Hope Floats - which is a good thing. Huffman continues to prove herself as an impeccable actress. In fact, a supporting actress not is well within her grasp with this endeavour. And Lohan shows once again that the screen loves her and her range deserves notice. Although her recent tabloid life will make you wonder how much she may be "playing herself", as the core of the picture she remains strong and utterly watchable.

The story slowly unravels from a glib confession to a dangerous lie to a cathartic truth. Through it all the three women come together, fall apart and finally reconnect. The men are only pegs on which to hang the threads of the web that is being spun and by the end all the pieces are connected. The dialogue is tough and unflinching. The performances are sincere and complex. The story is disturbing and solid. And in the end, by ignoring all the rules of mainstream "chick flicks", Georgia emerges as an interesting film on the edge of a typical summer season.