This is the last of the movies that were nominated for an Academy Award in a major category (one exception--I still have to get access to some of the Best Foreign Language film nominees) and I was very surprised that it wasn't nominated for Best Picture. There was an open slot in that category and I thought it was clearly better than two of those that made the list. The movie itself is densely written and masterfully acted. It is somewhere between a 21st century Dickensian family saga and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". Violet is the pill popping intoxicated matriarch of this profoundly dysfunctional clan who mistakes her disinhibited, mean spirited, highly insightful comments on each and every family member as telling the truth but in fact she is expertly exerting her control over each and every one of them, making sure that if they are successful it is not because of her.
Her husband dealt with Violet by maintaining a steady blood alcohol level. Her three daughters have had trouble with intimacy and no surprise there. The story line is predictable and superbly exectured. There are numerous memorable lines and it is the definition of an American black comedy.
No comments:
Post a Comment