6/10
Must admit this film didn’t
start with much promise, there’s a voice-over reminiscent
of Desperate Housewives, as if we’re into a saccharin
soapie and the first scenes don’t dispel that impression.
However it does improve largely through the talents of the three
major stars, who do marvels with a sort of latter day Thelma
and Louise excursion on a predictable script.
Recently widowed Arvilla Holden (Jessica Lange)
with friends Margene (Cathy Bates) and Carol (Joan Allen) set
out from Idaho to take Arvilla’s late husband Joe’s
ashes to the official funeral in Santa Barbara. This is arranged
by Joe’s spoilt daughter from his first marriage Francine
(Christine Baranski) who insists Joe should be properly interred
in the family plot; despite the fact Joe wanted his ashes scattered
to the wind. Unless Arvilla agrees to give the ashes to Francine,
she loses her house as Joe’s Will isn’t up to date
and the house been left to Francine, daughter from Hell.
So with the support of Arvilla’s two friends,
Joe’s vintage convertible 1966 Bonneville Pontiac is put
into service to drive across America. Along the way they meet
young good looking hitch hiker Bo (Victor Rusak) on the salt flats
of Utah. It’s a pleasant even sentimental encounter, without
the repercussions of the Brad Pitt character in Thelma and Louise.
Also there’s dalliance with a widowed truckie played by
Tom Skerritt, who takes a shine to Margene.
Carol a devout Mormon learns to relax some of her
religious convictions. While Arvilla is serious about delivering
“daddy's” ashes to Francine for the big funeral in
Santa Barbara, she has second thoughts along the way, resulting
in a devastating moment of embarrassment for Francine during the
funeral service.
With its upbeat ending and excellent performances from the leads,
one may overlook the less convincing aspects of the bathetic script.
After all Jessica Lange, Joan Allen, and the delightful Cathy
Bates are first-class actresses and they try hard to the movie
work. Helming the picture at a leisurely pace is Christopher N.
Riley (The Remembering Movies), with screenwriter Daniel
D. Davis.
Jessica Lange (Big Fish) is heartfelt as
the widow suffering her grief with courage and fortitude, Cathy
Bates (Relative Strangers) having fun with her portrayal
yet with feeling for her character’s uninspired lifestyle.
Joan Allen is admirable as a gentle Mormon coming to terms with
the ways of the world. You might recall her in The Bourne
Ultimatum as the hard-edged Pam Landy, and she’s poles
apart here. Supporting actress Christine Baranski also draws a
very different persona to her flamboyant role in Mama Mia.
Tom Skerritt (Brothers & Sisters) and Victor Rusak
(Stop-Loss) provide well rounded characters.
Some less impressive aspects include the irritating
and unnecessary voice-over, which smacks of the current trend
in TV shows. Also, with scenery being of some importance here,
why is the distant landscape always out of focus? Undoubtedly
due to using digital video which always seems to lack definition
in wide shots. This is surely something that must improve.
In the end Bonneville is a good-natured
road picture, giving a gentle nod to previous excursions along
a similar route even dare I say National Lampoon’s Vacation.
It's squarely aimed at the more mature female audience
(and will no doubt find it), although probably in nowhere near
the numbers who turned out for the more upbeat Thelma and
Louise. Yet with fine performances and home spun values,
this sentimental odyssey (despite the uninspired screenplay) may
do better than expected.
6/10
Must admit this film didn’t
start with much promise, there’s a voice-over reminiscent
of Desperate Housewives, as if we’re into a saccharin
soapie and the first scenes don’t dispel that impression.
However it does improve largely through the talents of the three
major stars, who do marvels with a sort of latter day Thelma
and Louise excursion on a predictable script.